BIOGRAPHY
Justin Zimmer was born on October 23, 1992, in Greenville, Michigan. He is a defensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. He played college football at Ferris State.
He attended Greenville high school where he played middle linebacker and led the Yellow Jackets in tackles with 108 and finished with four interceptions; he also played at tight end. He also participated in track, field, and wrestling where he won a regional championship as a junior and senior.
He played college football for the Bulldogs at Ferris State University; in his first year in 2011, he redshirted. In 2012 he played in seven games as a reserve during the 2012 campaign; he recorded two total tackles during the season.
In 2013 he started all 11 games in 2013 and finished with 57 tackles, including 20 solo stops. He was among league leaders with 7.5 quarterback sacks, also had seven hurries and three breakups; he scored TD on 20-yard interception return at Ashland and forced two fumbles.
In 2014, Zimmer started all 12 games and finished third on the team with 76 tackles (31 solo); he helped lead Bulldogs to the CLIAC Championship and NCAA Playoffs. In 2015, was named Capital One Academic All-America First Team, D2CCA All-America Team, and All-Super Region Four Team Defense after breaking single-season school records for tackles for loss (26) and sacks (13).
Zimmer signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent on May 6, 2016. On December 13, 2016, Zimmer was signed to the New Orleans Saints' practice squad. Zimmer signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League on September 21, 2017, and was added to the team's practice roster. He was promoted to the active list and appeared in the Alouettes' final game of the season, recording three tackles and one sack.
On April 17, 2018, Zimmer was signed by the Atlanta Falcons; he made his rookie debut as a Falcon during Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints.On December 4, 2018, Zimmer was signed to the Falcons’ 53-man roster.
On August 16, 2020, Zimmer signed with the Buffalo Bills. He was waived on September 5, 2020, and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was signed to active roster on October 21.
