Joey Mbu (born March 28, 1993) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

nose tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the l ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

, and was signed by the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcon ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player 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 contract at present but who i ...

in 2015.

Early years

Mbu played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, partl ...

at John and Randolph Foster High School in

Richmond, Texas Richmond is a city in and the county seat of Fort Bend County, Texas, United States. The city is located within the metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city population was 11,627. It is home to the founders of the former company O ...

, where he was a three-year starter on the offensive and defensive lines. He recorded 67 tackles, two sacks and two blocked field goals his senior year. He was rated a three-star recruit by rivals.com. Mbu garnered First-team All-District 23-4A recognition at Foster High. He earned First-team All-Area honors in 2009 and 2010 and Second-team honors in 2008. He helped the team advance to the playoffs in 2009 and 2010. Mbu also participated in discus and shot put on the school's track team. He won the discus district championship in 2010 and then advanced to the regional championship.

College career

Mbu played for the

Houston Cougars The Houston Cougars are the athletic teams representing the University of Houston. Informally, the Houston Cougars have also been referred to as the Coogs, UH, or simply Houston. Houston's nickname was suggested by early physical education instr ...

of the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

from 2011 to 2014. He played in twelve games, recording four total tackles, his freshman season in 2011. He played in twelve games, starting eight, for the Cougars in 2012 and accumulated 27 tackles. Mbu started thirteen games in 2013, totaling 29 tackles. He was a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

his senior year in 2014, recording 32 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one interception. He also earned First-team All- AAC honors his senior season while participating in the

East–West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: * East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *''East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

and

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

. Mbu played in 50 games, starting 38, during his college career and recorded 92 tackles, four sacks, eight pass breakups, and two interceptions. He majored in kinesiology.

Professional career

Mbu was rated the 19th best defensive tackle in the

2015 NFL Draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previo ...

by NFLDraftScout.com.

Lance Zierlein Lance Zierlein is a sports analyst and commentator. He has hosted sports talk shows on KILT 610, KBME 790, KGOW 1560 AM, and KFNC 97.5 FM in Houston, Texas Career Zierlein graduated from Lamar Consolidated High School Lamar Consolidated Hig ...

of NFL.com predicted that he would be selected in the seventh round or be a priority free agent. Zierlein also stated that "Mbu's football character and size give him a shot to make an NFL team."

Atlanta Falcons

Mbu signed with the

on May 6, 2015 after going undrafted in the

. He was released by the team on September 5 and signed to the Falcons' practice squad on September 8, 2015. He was promoted to the active roster on December 11, 2015. Mbu played in two games for the Falcons during the 2015 season, totaling one solo tackle and three tackle assists. On September 3, 2016, Mbu was waived by the Falcons as part of final roster cuts. The Falcons signed him to their practice squad the next day. On September 6, 2016, he was cut from the Falcons' practice squad.

Washington Redskins

On October 11, 2016, Mbu was signed to 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

' practice squad. He signed a futures contract with the Redskins on January 2, 2017. On September 2, 2017, Mbu was waived by the Redskins.

Indianapolis Colts

On September 4, 2017, Mbu was signed to 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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on November 7, 2017. He was waived by the Colts on May 1, 2018.

Green Bay Packers

On June 11, 2018, Mbu signed with the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the t ...

. He was waived on September 1, 2018.

San Antonio Commanders (AAF)

In December 2018, Mbu signed with the San Antonio Commanders of the AAF. Although Mbu only recorded 3 tackles in 8 games played, two of those were sacks. Mbu also created quarterback pressures, forced a fumble, knocked down a pass, and recovered a fumble forced by teammate

Jayrone Elliott Jayrone Carez Elliott (born November 11, 1991) is an American football outside linebacker who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Toledo, and was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2014. College ...

for a defensive touchdown.

Miami Dolphins

After the AAF suspended football operations, Mbu signed with the

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

on April 9, 2019 alongside fellow San Antonion teammate Elliott. He was released during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019.

New York Guardians (XFL)

In October 2019, Mbu was selected by the

New York Guardians The Orlando Guardians are a professional American football team based in Orlando, Florida. The team was founded by Vince McMahon's Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the XFL. The Guardians played their home games at MetLif ...

in the second round of the

2020 XFL Draft The 2020 XFL Draft was the inaugural player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams of the 2020 reboot of the XFL. The draft was held on October 15–16, 2019, via conference call, with results released through the XFL's social ...

. In 5 games, Mbu managed 9 tackles, a sack, and two passes batted down. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Personal life

Mbu's step-father, Charles Nzams, is a

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

soccer scout and has also played for Cameroon national soccer team.

References

External links

College stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mbu, Joey Living people 1993 births American football defensive tackles Atlanta Falcons players Green Bay Packers players Houston Cougars football players Indianapolis Colts players Miami Dolphins players New York Guardians players Sportspeople from Silver Spring, Maryland Players of American football from Montgomery County, Maryland San Antonio Commanders players Washington Redskins players