Chiefs news: NFL adds Nigerian lineman to roster through IPP

The NFL’s International Player Pathway allows emerging players from around the world to take extra space on a roster.—such as the Kansas City Chiefs.

Since 2017, the National Football League has placed 37 players on NFL rosters through a program called the International Player Pathways (IPP) program. It’s an initiative that has grown with the league’s efforts to create a global brand. This year, the Kansas City Chiefs will be allocated one such player: Chukwuebuka Godrick, an offensive lineman from Nigeria.

Two entire divisions were allowed to take on an extra IPP entrant this offseason: the AFC West and NFC North. This means eight new international players will be trying to earn a spot on NFL rosters for the next several months, including Godrick with the Chiefs.

For the last six years, the NFL has been cultivating efforts on the ground in various countries to host youth camps and international combines in order to train players and scout potential prospects while also raising the profile of the sport in new regions. Six of the players this year are from Nigeria, including Godrick, and are products of Osi Umenyiora efforts in his home country of Nigeria and the surrounding region. His endeavor, The Uprise, is a scouting and training program for professional sports.

Godrick will have the chance to stay with the Chiefs through training camp and then Kansas City will have a chance to keep Godrick for the regular season if they want—either on the active roster like anyone else or with a special international player exemption on the practice squad. That means the Chiefs could carry 17 players on the P.S. with one being Godrick.

The biggest success stories of the IPP include Philadelphia Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata, Las Vegas Raiders fullback Jakob Johnson, and Washington Commanders pass rusher Efe Obada.

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