Nikolas James Needham (born November 4, 1996) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

UTEP Miners The UTEP Miners is the name given to the sports teams of the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). They are informally referred to as the Miners, UTEP, or Texas–El Paso. UTEP was a member of the Western Athletic Conference from 1967 to 2005, ...

Early life

Needham attended Buena Park High School in

Buena Park, California Buena Park (''Buena'', Spanish for "Good") is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census its population was 84,034. It is the location of several tourist attractions, including Knott's Berry Farm. It i ...

where he played football. He was the 2013 first team All-Freeway League honoree. He played defensive back and wide receiver during the 2013 season. He averaged 87.7 yards per game. He was a two-star recruit on Scout.com and ranked 74th cornerback in the nation on 247Sports.

College career

Needham was a member of the

for five seasons, redshirting his freshman season. He finished his collegiate career with 213

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

, 13.5 tackles for loss and three

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team bu ...

and a school record 33 passes broken up in 41 games played.

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

Needham signed with the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

on April 28, 2019. He was waived on August 31 as part of final roster cuts but was resigned to the team's

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

the following day. Needham was promoted to the active roster on October 12 and made his NFL debut the next day against the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

, starting at cornerback and finishing the game with one tackle and a pass defended. In Week 9 against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

, Needham recorded a team-high 9 tackles and sacked

Sam Darnold Sam Richard Darnold (born June 5, 1997) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans football, USC Trojans, winn ...

once in the 26–18 win. Needham recorded his first career interception on November 10 against the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

, picking off a pass from

Brian Hoyer Axel Edward Brian Hoyer (born October 13, 1985) is an American professional American football, football quarterback. Since joining the NFL in 2009 as an undrafted free agent, he has started for eight different teams, the second-most in league hi ...

in the fourth quarter of the Dolphins' 16-12 win. In Week 15 against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

, Needham intercepted a pass thrown by

Eli Manning Elisha Nelson Manning (born January 3, 1981) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons with the New York Giants. A member of the Manning family, he is the youngest ...

during the 36–20 loss. He 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. In Week 10 of the 2020 season against the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

, Needham recorded his first sack of the season on

Justin Herbert Justin Patrick Herbert (born March 10, 1998) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks football, Orego ...

during the 29–21 win. Needham was given an exclusive-rights free agent tender by the Dolphins on March 8, 2021. He signed the one-year contract on April 19. On March 11, 2022, the Dolphins placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Needham. On October 19, 2022, the Dolphins placed Needham on injured reserve with a torn

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...

. On March 17, 2023, Needham re-signed with the Dolphins. Due to his torn achilles from last season, Needham was placed on the reserve/ physically unable to perform list to start the 2023 season. He was activated on October 24. On March 10, 2024, Needham re-signed with the Dolphins. He was released on August 27, and re-signed to the practice squad.

Cleveland Browns

On April 22, 2025, Needham signed with the

Personal life

Needham is the son of Steve Calhoun and Shannon Needham. He is an only child.

References

External links

UTEP Miners bioCleveland Browns bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Needham, Nik 1996 births Living people American football defensive backs UTEP Miners football players Miami Dolphins players Cleveland Browns players People from Buena Park, California Players of American football from Orange County, California