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Before the Broncos’ Week 16 matchup against the Patriots on Dec. 24, honorary game captain Ebenezer Ekuban returned to the grass at Empower Field at Mile High for the coin toss. The honor was another remarkable step in Ekuban’s one-of-a-kind football journey and marked a return to the site of Ekuban’s greatest years as an NFL player.
On the “Cut Fired Traded Retired” podcast with KOA’s Broncos sideline reporter Susie Wargin, Ekuban revisited his career and his time with the Broncos. Ekuban played defensive end for Denver from 2005-08, the final stretch of a prolific 10-year pro career, and helped the Broncos host an AFC Championship in the 2005 season.
“It was a fast 10 years,” Ekuban said. “It felt like a blink of an eye. You never realize it when you’re younger, when you’re still puppy-faced and wet behind the ears at 22 as a rookie, that, man, this really goes by fast. You really cherish those days. I really cherish my time here in Denver because, like I said, this was the first time as a pro that I won, and we were so close to getting that ring. … It was so rewarding to just win.”
Ekuban didn’t start playing football until he was a junior in high school in Bladensburg, Maryland. He rarely left the field, playing tight end, defensive end and kicker, and his athleticism helped him continue to the Power Five level at North Carolina.
Originally a tight end with the Tar Heels, Ekuban transitioned to playing defensive end full time in Chapel Hill and took off as an NFL Draft prospect. The Dallas Cowboys selected Ekuban with the 20th-overall pick in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft, making him the first Ghanaian to play in the NFL.
Ekuban established himself as an NFL starter in his five years in Dallas, recording 12.5 sacks and 114 tackles as a Cowboy. He powered his way to a career high eight sacks in the 2004 season with the Cleveland Browns before signing with the Denver…
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