Morgan Fox (American football)

Morgan Duane Fox (born September 12, 1994) is an American professional football defensive end for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at CSU-Pueblo. He signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2016.[1]

Morgan Fox
refer to caption
Fox with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022
No. 56 – Los Angeles Chargers
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1994-09-12) September 12, 1994 (age 30)
Fountain, Colorado, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:275 lb (125 kg)
Career information
High school:Fountain-Fort Carson
(Fountain, Colorado)
College:CSU Pueblo (2012–2015)
Undrafted:2016
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
  • Second-team All-RMAC (2013)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2024
Total tackles:171
Sacks:27.5
Forced fumbles:4
Fumble recoveries:4
Pass deflections:3
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Fox attended and played for Fountain-Fort Carson High School in Fountain, Colorado.[2] Fox grew up in a military family as his father served in the Army.[3]

College career

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Fox played for the CSU Pueblo ThunderWolves.[4] As a senior, he was named a finalist for the Cliff Harris Small College Defensive Player of the Year.[5] As a senior he was also a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award.[6] He finished first in the nation in sacks per game with 1.42, while the 128 sack yards was first nationally. In 12 games, he totaled 17.0 sacks to rank second in Division II and his 15 solo sacks was second. He finished his senior season with 52 tackles (32 solo), forced and recovered a fumble, and added one pass break-up.[2]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3 38 in
(1.91 m)
263 lb
(119 kg)
31 78 in
(0.81 m)
9 14 in
(0.23 m)
4.89 s 4.36 s 7.44 s 35.0 in
(0.89 m)
9 ft 7 in
(2.92 m)
23 reps
All values from Pro Day[7]

Los Angeles Rams

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After going undrafted in the 2016 NFL draft, Fox signed with the Los Angeles Rams on May 4, 2016, as an undrafted free agent.[8] On September 3, 2016, he was waived by the Rams as part of final roster cuts.[9] The next day, he was signed to the Rams' practice squad.[10] He was promoted to the active roster on October 8, 2016.[11] He was released on October 11, 2016, and was re-signed to the practice squad.[12] He was promoted again by the Rams on December 15, 2016.[13]

On September 10, 2017, in the season opener against the Indianapolis Colts, Fox recorded a safety for the Rams when he took down Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett in the end zone.[14]

On May 24, 2018, Fox tore his anterior cruciate ligament during organized team activities, effectively ending his 2018 season.[15] He was placed on injured reserve on August 31, 2018.[16] Without Fox, the Rams reached Super Bowl LIII where they lost 13–3 to the New England Patriots.

On May 15, 2020, Fox re-signed with the Rams.[17]

Carolina Panthers

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On March 18, 2021, Fox signed a two-year contract with the Carolina Panthers.[18] He played in 17 games with nine starts, recording a career-high 34 tackles, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

On March 14, 2022, Fox was released by the Panthers.[19]

Los Angeles Chargers

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On May 18, 2022, Fox signed with the Los Angeles Chargers.[20] He played in 17 games with 12 starts, recording a career-high 38 tackles and 6.5 sacks.

Fox re-signed with the Chargers on March 16, 2023.[21]

Personal life

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Fox owns a French bulldog, Winston, that was named Reserve Best in Show (second place) at the 2022 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Winston won the non-sporting group, beating out 321 other dogs.[22][23] Winston claimed victory in the Non-Sporting Group in a field of 20 breeds at the 2022 National Dog Show in Philadelphia. He later won Best in Show, beating out around 1,500 dogs representing 212 breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club and then six group winners before taking home the top prize.[24]

References

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  1. ^ Katson, Alex. "4 things to know about new Chargers DL Morgan Fox". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Morgan Fox - Football". Colorado State University Pueblo. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  3. ^ "Morgan Fox Named Chargers Salute to Service Award Nominee". www.chargers.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  4. ^ "Fountain-Fort Carson & CSU Pueblo alum Fox signs with Panthers". KOAA News 5. March 19, 2021. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  5. ^ "Trojan Kullos tabbed as a finalist for 2015 Cliff Harris Award". North Star Athletic Association. December 17, 2015. Archived from the original on November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  6. ^ "CSU-Pueblo products Ryan Jensen, Morgan Fox and Mike Pennel all took unlikely paths to NFL relevancy". The Denver Post. January 15, 2021. Archived from the original on November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  7. ^ "2016 Draft Scout Morgan Fox, Colorado State-Pueblo NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  8. ^ Simmons, Myles (May 4, 2016). "Rams sign 19 undrafted free agents". TheRams.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  9. ^ "Rams Make 53-Man Roster Decisions". TheRams.com. September 3, 2016. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017.
  10. ^ "Rams Practice Squad Announced". TheRams.com. September 4, 2016. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017.
  11. ^ Bain, Nate (October 8, 2016). "Rams Cut DB Sensabaugh, Sign DE Fox from Practice Squad". TheRams.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  12. ^ Bain, Nate (October 11, 2016). "Rams Claim DB Dwayne Gratz". TheRams.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  13. ^ McAtee, Joe (December 15, 2016). "LA Rams Place DE Robert Quinn, RB Benny Cunningham On IR; Promote OL David Arkin, DL Morgan Fox From PS". TurfShowTimes.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  14. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Los Angeles Rams - September 10th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  15. ^ Hagemann, Andie (May 24, 2018). "Rams DE Morgan Fox suffers torn ACL in practice". NFL.com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  16. ^ "Rams Make Initial Roster Cuts". TheRams.com. August 31, 2018. Archived from the original on September 1, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  17. ^ "Rams re-sign Morgan Fox, release Tanzel Smart". TheRams.com. May 15, 2020. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  18. ^ Gantt, Darin (March 18, 2021). "Panthers bolster defense on first official day of free agency". Panthers.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  19. ^ Gantt, Darin (March 14, 2022). "Panthers release A.J. Bouye, Morgan Fox". Panthers.com. Archived from the original on March 14, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  20. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Sign Defensive Lineman Morgan Fox". Chargers.com. May 18, 2022. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  21. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Re-Sign Morgan Fox". Chargers.com. March 16, 2023. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  22. ^ "Chargers D-lineman Morgan Fox has an adorable Westminster Best in Show contender". For The Win. June 22, 2022. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  23. ^ "Morgan Fox's French Bulldog Wins Reserve Best in Show". www.chargers.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  24. ^ Tran, Daniel (November 24, 2022). "French Bulldog wins Best in Show at 2022 National Dog Show". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
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