Eight-Year Pro Defensive Tackle Inks Deal with the Bengals

Eight-year pro defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins has played on three different teams since making his NFL debut back in 2016. This past season, Rankins was part of an integral Houston Texans team that clinched the AFC South division in the final week of the regular season. They would go on to the Divisional Round before being eliminated by the Baltimore Ravens. After the tough playoff loss, Sheldon became a free agent. Today, it was just announced the 29-year-old defensive end inked a two-year 26-million-dollar deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.  

Sheldon Rankins played four seasons at the University of Louisville. He was a backup in his freshman and sophomore seasons, before starting all 13 games in his junior season. During his third college year, Rankins recorded 53 tackles, eight sacks, and two interceptions. In his final season, he had 58 tackles, six sacks, and a fumble return for a touchdown. The future eight-year pro would go on to be picked as the 12th overall selection by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Last season, Rankins played in 15 games. The eight-year pro had 37 combined tackles, 29 being solo tackles, and the other eight were assisted tackles. He also put up nine tackles for loss of yardage and six sacks. His best game last season was in the middle of October in a matchup against the New Orleans Saints. The 29-year-old defensive tackle had six combined tackles, two tackles for a loss of yardage, and a sack in a 20-13 win. The Bengals are lucky to have Sheldon as he’ll be entering the second half of his career hungry to make his first Pro Bowl game.