Ottawa’s Jesse Luketa among Canadians cut in NFL

Several notable ex Canadian Football League (CFL) and Canadian players lost their National Football League (NFL) jobs as teams from south of the border faced a 4 p.m. eastern time (ET) deadline to chop their rosters to 53 players on Tuesday, Aug. 30. 

The Arizona Cardinals cut 2022 seventh-round pick Jesse Luketa, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The linebacker from Ottawa, who played college ball at Penn State, was a second-round pick by his hometown Redblacks in the 2022 CFL Draft.

The Buffalo Bills cut veteran Ottawa-born defensive tackle Eli Ankou with an injury settlement.

Also cut was Canadian defensive tackle Christian Covington of the Los Angeles Chargers. 

Covington has played 98 career NFL games with the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals and Chargers. He has 184 tackles and 9.5 sacks.

The B.C. Lions selected Covington in the fifth round of the 2015 CFL Draft, but he has never played in the Canadian league.

Covington is the son of Canadian Football Hall of Fame member Grover Covington.

The Chargers also cut Canadian offensive lineman Ryan Hunter, whose CFL rights are held by Toronto after the Argonauts made him a first-round pick in 2018.

Meanwhile, New York Jets quarterback Chris Streveler, a former Winnipeg Blue Bomber, confirmed his release.

Tough business. So thankful for the opportunities this preseason. This is just another step in the journey. The work and the mindset don’t change! https://t.co/srYBLbMXJg

— Chris Streveler (@cstrevy) August 30, 2022

Streveler, fourth on the Jets' depth chart, had an outstanding pre-season, leading the team to three wins in as many games.

Brandon Zylstra, a CFL all-star receiver in 2017 with Edmonton, was released by the Carolina Panthers, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. Zylstra broke into the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018 before spending the past three years in Carolina.

The New England Patriots cut Canadian offensive lineman Drew Desjarlais, Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal reported. Desjarlais was a CFL West all-star with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers last year.

The Seattle Seahawks cut Canadian offensive lineman Dakoda Shepley, ESPN's Brady Henderson reports. Shepley, a first-round pick of the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2018, played in eight games for Seattle last year after he was claimed off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers.