'My leg was facing a different way' - how Obada has stayed on NFL 'ride'

Efe Obada surpassed the average NFL career length in 2021, during his one season with the Buffalo Bills

Efe Obada wants to keep playing in the NFL "till the wheels fall off". Last November, he feared that day had come.

While playing for the Washington Commanders, the British defensive end was one of three players bearing down on the opposition quarterback.

The Commanders managed to complete the sack but, as most of the team celebrated, Obada lay on the turf in agony.

In the melee, he had collided with a team-mate. He looked down to see his right leg pointing in the wrong direction.

"It was [horrific]," he tells BBC Sport. "While I was getting carted off and I was going to hospital, I was thinking: 'OK, my leg is facing a different way. What does this mean?'

"I just didn't know what was happening with my body - what the diagnosis was going to be, how long it'd take [to recover], whether I'd be the same."

Obada had suffered multiple fractures to his lower leg and had surgery that evening.

And as he contemplated his future, he received some wise words from two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora, who continues to act as a mentor having helped Obada earn a shot at the NFL through the league's international player pathway (IPP) in 2017.

"A lot of people were reaching out, wishing me well, and I spoke to Osi," adds Obada. "He told me about his injuries and how he was able to come back. Some of his team-mates and one of our offensive linemen have had similar injuries and gone on to play for years.

"So that let me know that if I put in the work and stay true to the rehab programme, I’ll be able to come back. I think the doubt only lasted a day or two. Since then it's been 'this is where I’m at, let’s get it'."

Obada has not featured in Washington's first two pre-season games as he is completing his rehab programme

Kept on against the odds

Even though Obada was confident of getting back to full fitness, he was 32 and out of contract at the end of the season.

Then coach Ron Rivera - who signed Obada for Carolina in 2018 and Washington in 2022 - was sacked after the Commanders finished the season with a 4-13 record.

But he has been replaced by Dan Quinn, who was Atlanta coach when Obada trained with the Falcons in 2016 and was one of the few coaches to call him when he was in hospital.

Quinn, who had spent the past three seasons as the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive co-ordinator, then handed Obada another one-year deal - meaning he is now preparing for his seventh season as an active player in the NFL. The average career length of an NFL player is 3.3 years.

"After the injury, I was worried that I needed to make sure I got back [fit] before getting back into the league," he says.

"But I've been very fortunate to get signed while still in the process of rehabbing, so I'm very grateful. I couldn’t be happier.

"When I started playing, people used to say - and you see for yourself - that the NFL stands for 'not for long'. That’s something I'd always tell my wife, 'don't worry, it's not for long'. I think when I got to six years, I stopped saying it. So we’re going to ride this till the wheels fall off."

‘The guy is unreal’ – Daniels set for NFL bow

It has been quite a ride for Nigeria-born Obada. After being abandoned in London as a child and going into foster care, he played amateur football with the London Warriors before blazing a trail to the NFL.

He has played 72 games, sacking future Hall of Famers Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, and this season will share a locker room with a potential future superstar.

Washington selected Jayden Daniels with the second pick of this year's draft and the 23-year-old is set to be their starting quarterback this season, while nine-year veteran Marcus Mariota has been brought in as back-up.

"One of our issues was the quarterback position, and we've got a great vet in Mariota and Jayden Daniels," says Obada.

"Jayden's a very young, talented guy. He's a dual threat - he can throw and take off with his feet - and I think that’s what we really needed. The guy is unreal. He's so relaxed, so poised.

"There's a lot of hype around him, but he's so humble. He's taking strides, he's there to learn. I pride myself in being one of the first people in the [training] facility and every time I get there he's already there, so he's definitely putting in the hours to be able to step into that role.

"I do [think he’s ready to lead the team]. Everybody's responding around him. Everyone knows that he's the future of the franchise, he just has to go out there and perform, and do what he’s been doing in college – but obviously on a bigger stage."

Jayden Daniels threw 40 touchdown passes in 12 games during his final year at Louisiana State University

Avengers assemble in Washington

Washington are a team in transition. Last year they traded away defensive lynchpins Chase Young and Montez Sweat mid-season for extra draft picks.

New coach Quinn has also brought in ex-Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury as offensive co-ordinator, along with some seasoned veterans in linebacker Bobby Wagner, running back Austin Ekeler and tight end Zach Ertz.

"Having the opportunity to play for Quinn now is great," adds Obada. "He's a great guy, very caring.

"He has a defensive mindset and he's building a great culture here. Everyone's coming in with the mentality of trying to improve, even down to the kitchen staff.

"We've got a great offence and [the difference in our] defence is night and day. Bobby Wagner has come in to command that defence, and I'm excited to play alongside him. I've already told him I want his jersey. He's a future Hall of Famer so I definitely need that.

"On paper, the roster's amazing. It's kind of the Avengers. So reaching the Super Bowl is the goal. If I can do that then at least I can rub it in Osi's face!"