Can this TCU product follow the path set by Jerry Hughes, with the Dallas Cowboys?
Ben Banogu is not headed to Canton and football immortality, but football did give him some life security.
“Coming up on my fifth year,” he said. “Four years, three accredited seasons.”
Those milestones are no joke for an NFL player.
The former TCU defensive linemen who was born in Nigeria has played four NFL seasons, and appeared in 50 games. That qualifies him for the NFL’s pension plan; which, the more the games he plays, the more “credits” he’s given, which all translate to future money down the road.
He “made it.” He’s also not done.
A second-round draft pick by Indianapolis in 2019, he never did find a fit with the Colts. The team did not offer him a new contract this offseason.
His hope now is to follow the path set by fellow former TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes; he was the 31st overall pick of the 2010 draft, also by the Colts.
He also never did find a fit with the Colts, who traded Hughes to Buffalo in 2013 for middle linebacker Kelvin Sheppard.
Hughes went on to play 10 more seasons, nine with the Bills. Hughes had a productive season for Houston in 2022, and is still on their roster.
In June, the Dallas Cowboys signed Banogu. He will be with the team when they open training camp next week in Oxnard, Calif.
“I was looking for a home, and some teams were interested,” Banogu said in an interview last month. “My agent said the Cowboys wanted to bring me in (for a tryout). I happened to be in town.”
Although Banogu was raised in north Texas, and graduated from Prosper high school, that he was in the area when the Cowboys called was a merely a case of good timing.
He normally trains in the offseason in Henderson, Nevada, along with a handful of former Clemson players, including current Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
“I knew some of the staff here, and we hit it off and they decided to sign me; I’m excited,” he said. “I want to be that guy for the team. Whatever they ask. Offense. Defense. Special teams.
“Actually, I hope it’s not offense. If it’s offense we may be in trouble.”
It’s difficult to determine if Banogu hit his ceiling in Indianapolis, or if he is a “Hughes” type. The type who simply needs a different team, and environment, to extend his NFL career, or even thrive.
Banogu elected to a sign with a team that is deep at his position; he is hardly guaranteed to make the 53-man roster.
He also elected to sign to with a team that has a defensive coordinator who has a track record of doing well with his players, specifically edge rushers. The Cowboys would not have signed Banogu had defensive coordinator Dan Quinn believed there was no potential upside.
Banogu graded well in the NFL pre-draft workouts, especially his speed. He’s bright. He is a good athlete.
He’s also just not very big.
Banogu is listed as 6-foot-3, 252 pounds.
Hughes is listed as 6-foot-2, 254 pounds.
(Yes, there is some lying going on here.)
In 50 career games with the Colts, Banogu had 2 1/2 sacks, three tackles for loss and six QB hits. Not exactly glowing.
In 40 career games with Colts, Hughes had 5 sacks, 12 QB hits and a forced fumble. Also, not exactly glowing.
There were no signs that Hughes was going to take off the way he did in Buffalo. But he did.
Banogu will need to show something almost immediately to have a future with the Cowboys. They are not going to invest a roster spot on a veteran who can’t get on the field beyond special teams.
That Banogu made it this far, to NFL pension status, is most unexpected.
He began his career at Louisiana-Monroe, where he redshirted as a freshman. He excelled in his first season on the field, and then transferred to TCU. Back when transfers had to sit out an entire season.
He was an all-conference player at TCU, and graduated. He’s contemplating going back to TCU to pursue another degree, when the time is right. The time is not right at the moment.
“To be honest, (playing in the NFL) was something I always wanted to do. Once I figured out I wasn’t going to be the first Nigerian to go to outer space and be an Astronaut, I wanted to be the first one in my family to play in the NFL,” he said. “Playing professional football was always in the back of my mind.”
Now, it’s in front of his mind.
It didn’t work out for Banogu with the Colts, no different than Jerry Hughes.
Whether or not Banogu follows the Hughes’ path, with the Cowboys, is now up to him.
This story was originally published July 21, 2023 at 9:37 AM.
