Nik Needham
No. 40 – Miami Dolphins
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1996-11-04) November 4, 1996
Long Beach, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:196 lb (89 kg)
Career information
High school:Buena Park
(Buena Park, California)
College:UTEP
Undrafted:2019
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2023
Total tackles:193
Sacks:3.0
Forced fumbles:1
Fumble recoveries:1
Pass deflections:25
Interceptions:6
Defensive touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Nikolas James Needham (born November 4, 1996) is an American football cornerback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UTEP.

College career

Needham was a member of the UTEP Miners for five seasons, redshirting his freshman season. He finished his collegiate career with 213 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions and a school record 33 passes broken up in 41 games played.[1]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
5 ft 11+1⁄4 in
(1.81 m)		 194 lb
(88 kg)		 30+3⁄4 in
(0.78 m)		 8+1⁄2 in
(0.22 m)		4.67 s1.64 s2.63 s4.20 s6.90 s30.5 in
(0.77 m)		9 ft 7 in
(2.92 m)		10 reps
All values from Pro Day[2]

Needham signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent on April 28, 2019.[3] He was waived on August 31, 2019, as part of final roster cuts but was resigned to the team's practice squad the following day.[4] Needham was promoted to the active roster on October 12, 2019, and made his NFL debut the next day against the Washington Redskins, starting at cornerback and finishing the game with one tackle and a pass defended.[5][6] In week 9 against the New York Jets, Needham recorded a team high 9 tackles and sacked Sam Darnold once in the 26–18 win.[7] Needham recorded his first career interception on November 10, 2019, against the Indianapolis Colts, picking off a pass from Brian Hoyer in the fourth quarter of the Dolphins' 16-12 win.[8] In week 15 against the New York Giants, Needham intercepted a pass thrown by Eli Manning during the 36–20 loss.[9] Needham finished his rookie season with 54 tackles, a sack, one forced fumble and a team-high 11 passes defended with two interceptions in 12 games played.[10]

In Week 10 of the 2020 season against the Los Angeles Chargers, Needham recorded his first sack of the season on Justin Herbert during the 29–21 win.[11]

Needham was given an exclusive-rights free agent tender by the Dolphins on March 8, 2021.[12] He signed the one-year contract on April 19.[13]

On March 11, 2022, the Dolphins placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Needham.[14]

On October 19, 2022, the Dolphins placed Needham on injured reserve with a torn Achilles tendon.[15]

On March 17, 2023, Needham re-signed with the Dolphins.[16] Due to his torn achilles from last season, Needham was placed on the reserve/PUP list to start the 2023 season.[17] He was activated on October 24.

References

  1. ↑ Chalvire, Patrick (April 28, 2019). "Needham Signs with Miami Dolphins". cbs4local.com.
  2. ↑ "Nik Needham, Texas-El Paso, CB, 2019 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  3. ↑ Deaver, Colin (April 28, 2019). "Needham signs as undrafted free agent with Dolphins". KTSM.com. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  4. ↑ Chalvire, Patrick (September 2, 2019). "Former Miner/Aggie football players join Miami Dolphins practice squad". Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  5. ↑ Nogle, Kevin (October 12, 2019). "Dolphins promote Nik Needham, waive Doug Middleton". ThePhinsider.com. SB Nation. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  6. ↑ Poupart, Alain (October 13, 2019). "I Said It: Brian Flores, Players React To Dolphins-Redskins". MiamiDolphins.com. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Dolphins get first win of 2019, top Jets 26-18". www.espn.com. November 3, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  8. ↑ Ayello, Jim (November 10, 2019). "Colts suffer shocking loss to Dolphins as Vinatieri, Ebron, Hoyer struggle". USAToday.com. Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Manning throws 2 TDs, Barkley scores 2, Giants end long skid". www.espn.com. December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  10. ↑ Perkins, Chris (January 2, 2020). "Dolphins final report card: Hopes for No. 1 pick are gone, but hope for the future is high". The Athletic. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Los Angeles Chargers at Miami Dolphins - November 15th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  12. ↑ Simmons, Myles (March 8, 2021). "Dolphins tender ERFAs Nik Needham, Calvin Munson, and Jamal Perry". NBCSports.com. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  13. ↑ "2021 NFL Transactions: Signings – April". NFL.com. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Roster Moves: Dolphins place second-round tender on Needham". MiamiDolphins.com. March 11, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  15. ↑ Mendel, Jake (October 19, 2022). "Dolphins place Nik Needham and Trey Flowers on injured reserve". The Phinsider. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Miami Dolphins Re-Sign Three Players". MiamiDolphins.com. March 17, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Miami Dolphins Make Roster Moves". MiamiDolphins.com. August 29, 2023.
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