Christian Covington Released by B.C. Lions After 29 Games
christian covington is out in B.C. after the Lions released the national defensive lineman following two Canadian Football League seasons with the club. The move ends a run that included 29 regular-season games and removes a veteran with nine NFL seasons from the roster.
Ryan Rigmaiden and the Lions
General manager Ryan Rigmaiden called Covington "the epitome of a professional" and thanked him for his "dedication and leadership to the BC Lions." He also said, "Unfortunately, in this business you have to make decisions that are best for the team, but not necessarily for the individual player."
Rigmaiden added, "Saying goodbye to people you care about is the worst part of my job, but we felt like we had to do it in the best interest of the club." That line put the roster move in plain terms: the Lions chose the team over a veteran who had already given them two seasons.
Christian Covington's CFL role
Covington, listed at six-foot-three and 289 pounds, was selected by the Lions in round five, 43rd overall in the 2015 CFL Draft, then returned for the 2024 CFL campaign after a long NFL run. In those 29 games with B.C., he posted 29 defensive tackles, seven sacks and two forced fumbles.
His path to the CFL carried more than one stop. The Houston Texans took him in the sixth round, 216th overall in the 2015 NFL Draft, and he went on to play nine seasons in the league, including four years with Houston from 2015 through 2018.
Vancouver College and the draft
Covington's football resume started in Vancouver, where he attended Vancouver College and helped the school win the B.C. high school provincial championship in 2010. He was also named the provincial defensive Most Valuable Player that year.
Across his NFL career, Covington played 102 regular-season games for the Texans, Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Chargers. He finished with 196 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two pass knockdowns, and his NFL earnings reached $8.65 million USD, according to Spotrac.
For the Lions, the change is straightforward: a veteran national defensive lineman with proven pro production is off the roster after two CFL seasons, and the club has already said the decision came down to the best interest of the team.
