Washington Redskins sign German defensive lineman David Bada

| American Football | 04/28/2020

The Washington Redskins have signed German defensive lineman David Bada, formerly of the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns, as part of the NFL International Player Pathway Program.

The program, instituted in 2017, aims to provide international athletes the opportunity to compete at the NFL level, improve their skills, and ultimately earn a spot on an NFL roster. After the NFL conducted an International Combine in Germany last October, Bada received additional training and development alongside NFL players and draft hopefuls in Florida at IMG Academy this winter.

The NFC East was chosen to receive these players in a random draw, making the Redskins one of four teams able to carry an additional overseas player on their practice squads in 2020.

The 6’5″, 287-pound Bada, a native of Munich, Germany has spent the past two seasons anchoring the defensive line for the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns in the German Football League. The Unicorns won the German title in 2018 and reached the final in 2019. Prior to that, he spent three seasons playing for the Ingolstadt Dukes, also in the GFL. He started his career with his hometown Munich Cowboys in the GFL in 2014.

Bada won’t count toward the Redskins’ 90-man roster. If he doesn’t make the 53-man roster or practice squad, the league creates a special 11th practice squad spot for the Pathway Program players. The players remain in that slot until the end of the season. The only catch is that if a team chooses to take the 11th spot on the practice squad, the IPP player can’t be added to the active roster at any point during the season.

Before becoming head coach of the Redskins, Ron Rivera coached the Carolina Panthers and was the first to activate a Pathways player, Efe Obada, to the 53 man active roster where he excelled.

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