Lions Acquire Ex-Commanders Defensive Lineman
The Detroit Lions announced the signing of former Washington Commanders defensive lineman David Bada on Thursday afternoon. Bada, part of the league’s International Pathway Program, will not count against the 90-man roster.
DJ Reader is steadily rehabbing from a torn quadriceps muscle, while Brodric Martin and Levi Onwuzurike are working in camp to earn more playing time. Bada, of Ghanaian descent, played in the German Football League for the Munich Cowboys, Ingolstadt Dukes, and Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns. He participated in the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program in 2019 and joined the Commanders in 2020.
Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 293 pounds, Bada spent the entire 2020 season with exempt status on Washington’s practice squad. He was signed to the active roster in December 2022 but was placed on injured reserve after tearing his triceps in August 2023. Throughout his career, he has recorded two tackles.
New defensive line coach Terrell Williams emphasized in the spring that his job is to build up the defensive line’s confidence after they faced heavy scrutiny last season. “My job is to help them get better but also to build up their confidence. Because when you tell them they’re bad and they’re this and they’re that, then they start to believe it. It’s important that they listen to who they need to listen to, which is us in this building,” said Williams. “No offense, but not you guys. You can’t define them, we’ll define them and what they are and who they are and the way they walk and the way they talk and the way they play football. That’ll come from us in this building.”
