Report: Bengals sign Evander Holyfield's son to practice squad

Philadelphia Eagles running back Elijah Holyfield Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Bengals sign Evander Holyfield's son, Elijah, to practice squad

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 10/12/21

The Cincinnati Bengals backfield has taken a beating in recent days, and the team is bringing in an intriguing name to potentially alleviate the issue.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Bengals are signing former Georgia Bulldogs running back Elijah Holyfield. The 23-year-old's father is a man with whom all boxing fans should be plenty familiar.

The #Bengals are signing RB Elijah Holyfield, son of Evander, to their practice squad, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 12, 2021

Evander Holyfield was one of the main faces of professional boxing from when he started competing in the mid-80s through his retirement in 2012. On June 28, 1997, he was at the center of one of the most infamous bouts ever, when opponent Mike Tyson bit both his right and left ears during a couple of tie-ups, resulting in his disqualification.

Elijah spent three seasons suiting up for the Bulldogs, including his final year in 2018 when he placed seventh in the SEC in rushing attempts with 159, eighth in rushing yards at 1,018 and fifth in rushing yards per attempt at 6.4. He spent that season sharing the Georgia backfield with current Detroit Lions back D'Andre Swift.

The recently signed Bengals back went undrafted in 2019, signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020 and played one game (five snaps) that season. He was waived by the team on Aug. 29, 2021.

Bengals starting running back Joe Mixon has been battling an ankle injury and was limited to 10 carries on Sunday, while backup Samaje Perine was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday.

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