Jonathan Kongbo
refer to caption
Kongbo with the Blue Bombers in 2021
No. 4 – Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Position:Defensive lineman
Personal information
Born: (1996-03-19) March 19, 1996
Kinshasa, Zaire
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:256 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school:Kitsilano / Holy Cross
College:Tennessee
CFL Draft:2019 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5
Undrafted:2019
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
CFL status:National
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR · CFL.ca

Jonathan Kongbo III (born March 19, 1996) is a professional gridiron football defensive lineman for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was originally drafted by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the first round with the fifth overall pick in the 2019 CFL Draft.[1] He played college football at Arizona Western and Tennessee.

College career

He was a three-sport athlete while attending Holy Cross Regional High School in Surrey, British Columbia, after transferring in grade 12 from Kitsilano Secondary. He accepted a scholarship to the University of Wyoming, where he was a redshirt in 2014 and did not play for the team.[2] Kongbo then transferred to Arizona Western College, where he was a junior college All-American in 2015 and a high-profile college prospect.[3] The following season in 2016, he played college football for Tennessee as a sophomore. His junior year was his best year, with ten games played and 29 total tackles.[4] In 2018, his senior year, he moved into the linebacker role; after six games, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) at The University of Tennessee against Auburn and did not play for the rest of the season.[3][5]

Professional career

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Upon entering the CFL Draft, Kongbo was at one point ranked the number-one prospect by the Central CFL Scouting Bureau and was eventually drafted fifth overall in the 2019 CFL Draft by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.[2][6] He was signed by the Blue Bombers on May 17, 2019, and placed on their six-game injured list, hoping to play before the end of summer.[6][1] He played in his first career professional game on August 1, 2019, against the Toronto Argonauts.[7] In his first season, Kongbo played in 12 games, recording 12 tackles and a sack. He played in all three of the Blue Bombers' post-season games, including the 107th Grey Cup game where he won his first Grey Cup championship. Kongbo was released on December 5, 2019, as part of a pre-determined agreement to pursue National Football League opportunities.[8]

San Francisco 49ers

On January 1, 2020, Kongbo signed a reserve/future contract with the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL.[9] He was waived/injured on August 27, 2020,[10] and subsequently reverted to the team's injured reserve list the next day.[11] He was waived with an injury settlement on September 4, 2020.[12]

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (II)

On June 7, 2021, it was announced that Kongbo had re-signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to a one-year contract.[13] Kongbo recorded 16 tackles on defense and one more on special teams, plus 3 sacks during the shortened 14 game regular season. Kongbo also had three more tackles and another sack in the playoffs, during which the Bombers won another Grey Cup. Kongbo was released to pursue NFL opportunities after the season concluded.[14]

Denver Broncos

On January 12, 2022, Kongbo signed a reserve/future contract with the Denver Broncos of the NFL.[15] He was waived on August 30, 2022, and signed to the practice squad the next day.[16][17] He was promoted to the active roster on October 6.[18] He was waived on October 11 and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted back to the active roster on December 31.[19]

BC Lions

On May 21, 2023, it was announced that Kongbo had signed with his hometown BC Lions.[20] He was competing with four other Canadians for snaps along the defensive line; Mathieu Betts, David Menard, Joshua Archibald and first-round 2023 CFL Draft pick Francis Bemiy. There were rumours that Kongbo was not happy with his place in the depth chart and he claimed others on the team were not acting professionally. Others in the organization claimed that Kongbo quit on the team and was not a culture fit.[21]

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

On June 5, 2023, Kongo was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in exchange for a fourth-round selection in the 2024 CFL Draft.[22]

Personal life

Kongbo was born in Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo) to parents Joachim and Lily and has one brother, Joel.[23][24][25] He moved to Canada when he was five years old. He also holds French citizenship.[24][25][26]

References

  1. 1 2 "Bombers sign fifth overall draft selection Kongbo". CFL.ca. May 17, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Dunk, Justin (October 22, 2018). "Top ranked CFL Draft prospect, DL Jonathan Kongbo suffers season-ending knee injury". 3downnation.com. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Boclair, David (May 6, 2019). "Kongbo willing to give it a go in Canada". Nashville Post. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  4. ↑ Williford, Billy (May 2019). "NFL Draft: 5 best landing spots for former Vol Jonathan Kongbo". All For Tennessee. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  5. ↑ Whiteman, Marc (October 15, 2018). "Jonathan Kongbo suffers season-ending injury in win against Auburn". WATE 6 On Your Side. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Lay, Ken (June 29, 2019). "VFL Jonathan Kongbo on Winnipeg's injury list". Vols Wire. USA Today. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  7. ↑ Wiebe, Ken (August 2, 2019). "Bombers blow 20-point lead against winless Argonauts". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Bombers release DL Jonathan Kongbo to pursue NFL opportunity". CFL.ca. December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  9. ↑ Nivison, Austin (December 31, 2019). "Jonathan Kongbo announces signing with San Francisco 49ers". 247Sports. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  10. ↑ "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. August 27, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  11. ↑ "49ers' Jonathan Kongbo: Shifts to IR". CBSSports.com. August 28, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Jonathan Kongbo: Waived from IR". CBSSports.com. September 5, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Blue Bombers sign defensive end Jonathan Kongbo". Winnipeg Blue Bombers. June 7, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  14. ↑ Friesen, Paul (January 12, 2022). "Bombers' Kongbo heads south, Kolankowski stays put". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  15. ↑ DiLalla, Aric (January 12, 2022). "Broncos sign DE Jonathan Kongbo to future contract". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  16. ↑ DiLalla, Aric (August 30, 2022). "Broncos make series of roster moves to reach 53-player limit". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  17. ↑ DiLalla, Aric (August 31, 2022). "Josh Johnson, Kendall Hinton among 13 players signed to Broncos' practice squad". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  18. ↑ DiLalla, Aric (October 6, 2022). "Broncos promote OLB Jonathan Kongbo to active roster, elevate S Anthony Harris and RB Devine Ozigbo ahead of Week 5 game vs. Colts". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  19. ↑ Swanson, Ben (December 31, 2022). "Broncos promote CB Lamar Jackson, OLB Jonathan Kongbo to active roster, place OLB Randy Gregory on injured reserve". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Lions Sign National DL Kongbo, Release Lemon & Herdman-Reed". BC Lions. May 21, 2023.
  21. ↑ 3Down Staff (June 6, 2023). "Neil McEvoy: B.C. Lions' culture clash with Jonathan Kongbo was 'missed opportunity'". 3DownNation. Retrieved June 7, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ↑ "Tiger-Cats acquire national defensive lineman Kongbo from BC". Hamilton Tiger-Cats. June 5, 2023.
  23. ↑ Wiebe, Ken (July 30, 2019). "Bombshells: Kongbo set for CFL debut … LaPolice not concerned about Blue Bombers offence … Gaitor, Wolitarsky are in". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  24. 1 2 Beamish, Mike (February 3, 2016). "Surrey's unintentional football star Jonathan Kongbo back on course for Tennessee". The Province. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  25. 1 2 "Jonathan Kongbo Biography". Wyoming Cowboys Athletics. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  26. ↑ Tait, Ed (July 30, 2019). "Kongo healthy, ready to step in". Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
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