Needham Lands with AFC Team

The former Miami Dolphins DB started 27 games after entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent

Miami Dolphins cornerback Nik Needham (40) during the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium in 2022. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Three months after his time with the Miami Dolphins ended, Nik Needham has himself a new team.

Needham will be staying in the AFC after joining the Cleveland Browns, and could get the chance to face his former team in 2025 since the Dolphins are scheduled to play at Huntington Bank Field for a second consecutive season.

There never was an official move from the Dolphins involving Needham after the 2024 season; they simply let his practice squad contract run out and didn't re-sign him to a future contract — the same thing that happened with quarterback Skylar Thompson before he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

NEW START FOR NEEDHAM

Needham once was a great success story for the Dolphins after making the 53-man roster as a rookie free agent after starting the 2019 season on the practice squad.

He started 27 games in his first four seasons with the Dolphins, and at the very least provided quality depth in the secondary.

During his time with Miami, Needham recorded six interceptions, the last one a pick-six in a 20-3 victory against the New Orleans Saints in a December 2021 Monday night game at the Superdome.

Needham started five of the first six games in the 2022 season, but things changed after he sustained a torn Achilles tendon in the Week 6 loss against the Minnesota Vikings that season. He spent the '23 season trying to work his way back from the injury and got little playing time, but then spent the entire 2024 season on the practice squad, appearing in two games as a PS elevation.

With the Browns, Needham will look to earn a roster spot in a cornerback group that includes Chigozie Anusiem, Tony Brown II, Martin Emerson Jr., Myles Harden, Anthony Kendall, Cameron Mitchell, Greg Newsome II and Denzel Ward.