Jonathan Hankins: ‘I believe I’ll be with a team pretty soon’

Free-agent defensive tackle Jonathan Hankins isn’t sweating the fact he remains unemployed with the start of the NFL regular season just around the corner.

Hankins is confident he will wind up with a team for which he expects to be a good fit in the near future.

‘I’ve just been really talking to teams and trying to figure out what would be the best fit’

“I believe I’ll be with a team pretty soon,” Hankins told Brady Quinn and A.J. Hawk on the SiriusXM Blitz. “I’ve just been really talking to teams and trying to figure out what would be the best fit. Just taking my time with things, and I feel like I’ll be with at team very soon, before the season gets started.”

Hankins began his career with the New York Giants in 2013, as a second-round draft pick from Ohio State. He signed with the Indianapolis Colts as a free agent last year, and was released in March.

‘In terms of just playing football, that’s what I do and I feel like I’m a very impactful player’

Although he didn’t name any specific teams, Hankins said he was confident he would end up in the right place. He has made visits to the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Chargers.

“I feel like all the opportunities that I have, going to work out with teams and visiting teams that have been interested in me, I feel like it’s all been a good fit,” Hankins said. “In terms of just playing football, that’s what I do and I feel like I’m a very impactful player. So wherever the situations or wherever the team may be, I feel like I can come in and contribute.”

‘Whenever I sign, if it’s a Sunday I definitely will be out there’

How  ready does he  think he’ll be at the start of the season?

“I believe I can, but also it’s always good to get the pads back on to get that feeling of hitting guys and being back out there,” Hankins said. “…whenever I sign, if it’s a Sunday I definitely will be out there. But it’s also good to be able to get back in that mode and hitting people and getting back to that feeling of football.”