An undrafted defensive lineman who took a detour through the XFL, LaCale London has become an unlikely, productive rotational piece up front for Atlanta.
London's path ran from junior college to Western Illinois to a brief stop with the Chicago Bears, then through the XFL's St. Louis BattleHawks before he found a lasting home with the Falcons. In 2025 he delivered his best season yet, posting five sacks as part of Atlanta's interior rotation.
Path to the league
London transferred to Western Illinois after a year at Iowa Central Community College and became a productive interior defender, earning All-Newcomer honors in 2018 and second-team All-MVFC recognition as a senior in 2019. He signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
Career highlights
After making his NFL debut with the Bears in 2021, London spent 2023 with the XFL's St. Louis BattleHawks, where he earned a Defensive Player of the Week award after a two-forced-fumble performance against Seattle. Atlanta signed him in May 2023, and he has remained with the organization since, cycling between the active roster and practice squad.
2025 season recap
London had his best NFL season in 2025, appearing in 13 games with five starts and recording 30 tackles, seven tackles for loss, five sacks and a forced fumble, the fourth-most sacks on Atlanta's roster and second among the team's interior defenders. His performance helped solidify a rotational role on the Falcons' defensive line.
Sources
- Wikipedia: LaCale London
- Pro Football Reference: LaCale London
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
13 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | falcons | 13 | 30 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2023 | falcons | 7 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive End
- Group
- defense
- College
- Western Illinois
- Hometown
- Peoria, IL, USA
- Age
- 29
- Status
- active
