NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL has added four players from Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom to each team in the AFC South as part of the league's International Player Pathway Program.
The NFL announced Tuesday that defensive back Marcel Dabo from Germany will join Indianapolis, defensive lineman Adedayo Odeleye from the United Kingdom to Houston, tight end Thomas Odukoya from the Netherlands with Tennessee and defensive back Ayo Oyelola from the United Kingdom with Jacksonville.
The AFC South teams will keep the players on the roster through training camp. Then the teams can get an international player exemption for an extra player on the practice squad, and teams also can promote any of the players to the active roster.
A random draw chose the AFC South to add the international players this year as the sixth division taking part in the program. This is the sixth year of the program that has assigned 24 players to different teams to help build a path for international players to compete in the NFL.
The NFL held a combine in the United Kingdom and Mexico last October with 12 picked for additional training and development. After a pro day in March, Chigbo Roy Mbaeteka and Haggai Chisom Ndubuisi from Nigeria were signed by the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals in April.
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