The Denver Broncos are adding a new player to their defensive line depth chart, but he won’t count against the 90-man offseason roster.
The league has allocated defensive lineman Haggai Chisom Ndubuisi to the Broncos as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) program.
Ndubuisi (6-7, 323 pounds) is a 22-year-old Nigerian lineman who played soccer and basketball growing up before joining Uprise Academy, a Nigerian football program founded by former NFL defensive lineman Osi Umenyiora.
After standing out at Uprise Academy, Ndubuisi attended an international combine in London and then went to training camp with the Arizona Cardinals last summer as part of the IPP program.
Ndubuisi was unable to make Arizona’s 53-man roster or practice squad last year, but he will now get another opportunity in Denver. He is one of 13 players participating in the 2023 IPP program. This year, there are six Nigerians, one Australian and one French player in the program.
Since the NFL launched the IPP program in 2017, 37 international players have signed with NFL teams. This marks the first time a player has joined the Broncos as part of the program.
Ndubuisi will not officially count against Denver’s roster total unless he makes the team later this summer.
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