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Haggai Ndubuisi

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Haggai Ndubuisi
No. 68 – Washington Commanders
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (2000-10-15) 15 October 2000 (age 24)
Lagos, Nigeria
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:298 lb (135 kg)
Career information
Undrafted:2022
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Practice squad/international
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Haggai Chisom Ndubuisi (born 15 October 2000) is a Nigerian professional football defensive tackle for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He joined the NFL through the International Player Pathway (IPP) program and has been a member of the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, and the United Football League's (UFL) San Antonio Brahmas.

Early life

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Ndubuisi was born on 15 October 2000, in Lagos, Nigeria.[1] He grew up playing soccer and basketball before watching a YouTube video about the National Football League (NFL)'s best hits when he was 18.[2][3] He enjoyed watching it and decided that he wanted to be a football player.[3] Ndubuisi often brought his friends to local fields and tried to re-enact what he saw in the videos, despite knowing almost nothing about the game.[3]

There were almost no football teams in Nigeria at the time; Ndubuisi said "American football is not a sport that is in Nigeria per say [sic] - it is like a sport without hope. There is no future in it."[2] He sometimes practiced alone due to the sport's lack of popularity.[4] He was noticed by Ejike Ugboaja, who co-leads (with Osi Umenyiora) UpRise Academy, a program that helps identify African football talent, and was invited in 2021.[2][4]

After six months of training, Ndubuisi was invited to an NFL camp in London in late 2021.[5][6] He also trained with former NFL offensive lineman LeCharles Bentley.[7]

Professional career

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Arizona Cardinals

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In 2022, Ndubuisi was chosen as one of the participants in the NFL's International Player Pathway Program (IPPP), being allocated to the Arizona Cardinals as an offensive tackle.[7][8][4] He appeared in the team's first preseason game, appearing on two snaps, but was released afterwards on 14 August.[8]

Denver Broncos

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Ndubuisi returned to the IPPP in 2023 and was allocated to the Denver Broncos, with his position being switched to the defensive line.[9][10] In his first preseason game with the team, he posted two tackles.[3] He was waived on 29 August 2023, and re-signed to the practice squad.[11][12] He was not signed to a reserve/future contract and thus became a free agent at the end of the season.[13]

San Antonio Brahmas

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On 1 February 2024, Ndubuisi signed with the San Antonio Brahmas of the United Football League (UFL).[14] He was waived on 12 February 2024.[15]

Washington Commanders

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On 3 April 2024, Ndubuisi signed with the Washington Commanders.[16] He was waived on 27 August 2024 and joined their practice squad the following day.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Haggai Ndubuisi". ESPN.
  2. ^ a b c Adetunji, Josh (4 September 2022). "Haggai Ndubuisi: From watching American football on YouTube to the NFL". BBC.
  3. ^ a b c d Stubbs, Roman (17 August 2023). "He learned football on YouTube in Africa. Can he make an NFL roster?". The Washington Post.
  4. ^ a b c Tomasson, Chris (12 June 2023). "Broncos' Nigerian defensive lineman Haggai Ndubuisi making strides after not long ago 'football was foreign to me'". The Denver Gazette.
  5. ^ MacKenzie, Daniel (28 December 2022). "NFL International Player Pathway spotlight: Haggai Chisom Ndubuisi, Nigeria". American Football International.
  6. ^ DiLalla, Aric (4 May 2023). "DL Haggai Chisom Ndubuisi joins Broncos as part of NFL's International Player Pathway Program". Denver Broncos.
  7. ^ a b Root, Jess (19 April 2022). "Cardinals sign Nigerian OL Haggai Chisom Ndubuisi". USA Today.
  8. ^ a b Mahoney, Joe (10 May 2023). "The most under of underdogs - Haggai Chisom Ndubuisi". Mile High Report.
  9. ^ Jensen, Chad (5 May 2023). "Broncos Add Massive DL to Rookie Camp From NFL's IPP Program". Sports Illustrated.
  10. ^ Heath, Jon (14 June 2023). "Haggai Ndubuisi will get his real chance with Broncos at training camp". USA Today.
  11. ^ DiLalla, Aric (29 August 2023). "Broncos make series of transactions to reduce active roster to league-mandated limit". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  12. ^ DiLalla, Aric (30 August 2023). "Broncos sign 14 players to practice squad". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  13. ^ DiLalla, Aric (8 January 2024). "Broncos sign 12 players to future contracts". DenverBroncos.com.
  14. ^ @UFL_PR (1 February 2024). "The United Football League, the premier spring football league, has agreed to terms with the following 4 players for the upcoming 2024 season" (Tweet). Retrieved 2 February 2024 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ "UFL Player Transactions, Monday February 12, 2024". UFLBoard.com. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Commanders sign DL Haggai Chisom Nduisi". Washington Commanders. 3 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Commanders sign 12 players to 2024 practice squad". Commanders.com. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
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