Commanders Sign Ex-Panthers, Bills DE to Deal

Efe Obada

Efe Obada chasing Patrick Mahomes

Efe Obada

Obada, who turns 30 next month, has had a unique path in the NFL. Born in Nigeria, Obada moved to the Netherlands and was trafficked along with his sister to London 20 years ago. Both Obada and his sister were left homeless on the London streets and bounced around through the British foster care system.

In 2014, Obada played football for the first time at the age of 22 in the British American Football Association. The following year, Obada's 6-6, 265-pound build caught the attention of NFL teams, and by the recommendation of international Dallas Cowboys coaching intern Aden Durde, joined the NFL's International Player Pathway Program.

He bounced around practice squads in Dallas, Kansas City and Atlanta before finding a home with the Carolina Panthers in 2017.

Ron Rivera

Ron Rivera

Ron Rivera

The Panthers, coached by Ron Rivera, elevated him to the 53-man roster in 2018, making Obada the first International Player Pathway Program alum to play in a regular season game.

Obada stayed in Carolina until 2020 and he logged 5.5 sacks in a final season with the Panthers. That led him to signing a free agent contract with the Buffalo Bills in 2021, where he appeared in 10 games and recorded 3.5 sacks.

Now, he's come to D.C. to reunite with Coach Rivera in hopes to add depth to the defensive line, which already lost Matthew Ioannidis and Tim Settle earlier in the offseason.