Michael Dwumfour

BIOGRAPHY

Michael Dwumfour, born on the first day of the New Year in 1998, is an established American professional football defensive tackle. His journey began in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, where he was born to a family of Ghanaian descent. Football has been a part of his life since high school when he started to forge his path to the big leagues.

He began his high school playing career at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, where he and future NFL player Rashan Gary made quite the team. However, his educational journey led him to transfer to DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, New Jersey, where he continued to make strides on the school’s football team. His junior season saw him recording 42 tackles and three quarterback sacks. The following year he registered an impressive 55 tackles and seven sacks. Accumulating a total of 97 tackles and ten sacks across two years as a high school player caught the attention of college teams. His talent also led him to be rated as a three-star prospect by ESPN, Rivals.com, and Scout.com.

In college, Dwumfour went where the maize and blue blaze – the University of Michigan. As a freshman, he had his initial taste of college football in the season opener against Hawaii. The following year, he played in nine games and showcased his potential with four tackles and a sack. His pivotal season came as a junior when he played in every game, started two, and racked up an impressive stat line of 21 tackles, one interception, and three sacks. Capping off his college career in Michigan, Dwumfour recorded nine tackles and a sack across ten games as a senior.

Feeling the need for a change, Dwumfour transferred to Rutgers University in New Jersey for his final college season in 2020 where he played eight matches at defensive tackle and made 25 tackles. His impressive performance earned him an honorable mention on the All-Big Ten list.

Unfortunately, the 2021 NFL draft didn’t go as planned for Dwumfour, and he was left undrafted. However, this didn’t dampen his spirits, as he was immediately signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent. His debut was a remarkable one where he demonstrated his skills against the New York Giants during the preseason. A dreaded injury cut his time short with the Jets, which led to his release.

A new opportunity sprang up for upon signing with the Houston Texans’ practice squad in mid-October 2021. Two months later, he was promoted to the active roster and made a half-sack debut against the Los Angeles Chargers. After finishing the season playing three games with five tackles to his credit, he signed a reserve/future contract with the Texans in January 2022.

Life in the football league often means dealing with changes. In October 2022, he landed on the injured reserve list, only to be activated a month later. His return was brief, as he was waived in early December. He found new ground with the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad, where he spent some time in mid-December.

Dwumfour signed yet another reserve/futures deal in February 2023 with the Cleveland Browns but was waived in August of the same year. The rollercoaster continued as he signed with the Tennessee Titans a week later, only to be waived two weeks after. Despite bouncing around, Dwumfour found placement with the Texans’ practice squad once again in late September 2023.

His journey took another turn as he was signed to the Chicago Bears practice squad a month later. On the bright side, he was able to clinch a reserve/future contract with the Bears in January 2024, marking yet another chance for Dwumfour to make his mark in professional football. Despite another setback in August 2024 when he was waived by the Bears, Michael Dwumfour’s journey in professional football remains as riveting as ever, with a promising future ahead.