Haggai Chisom Ndubuisi

Haggai Chisom Ndubuisi
No. 68 – Washington Commanders
Position:	Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born:	15 October 2000 (age 23); Lagos, Nigeria
Height:	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:	298 lb (135 kg)
Career information
Undrafted:	2022
Career history
	Arizona Cardinals (2022); Denver Broncos (2023); San Antonio Brahmas (2024); Washington Commanders (2024–present);
	* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:	Active/international

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

Early life

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

Arizona Cardinals

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

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]