| No. 75 – Dallas Cowboys | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Offensive tackle | ||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | (1997-12-08)December 8, 1997 (age 28) Garland, Texas, U.S. | ||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||
| Listed weight | 302 lb (137 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | Garland | ||||||
| College | Kansas (2016–2019) | ||||||
| NFL draft | 2020: 6th round, 180th overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
| |||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 16, 2025 | |||||||
| |||||||
Hakeem Adeniji (born December 8, 1997) is an American professionalfootballoffensive tackle for theDallas Cowboys of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theKansas Jayhawks, making the first-team in 2019[1] and second-team in 2018[2] before being selected by theCincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the2020 NFL draft.
Adeniji attended high school atGarland High School in Texas. In high school, he had committed to play at theUnited States Air Force Academy. However, he failed to receive a medical waiver to attend due to an allergy tocashews. After failing to receive the waiver, he committed to theUniversity of Kansas.[3]
As a freshman, Adeniji became a starter at tackle immediately, starting all twelve games. Throughout his college career, Adeniji showed durability, not missing a single game due to injury. By the end of his senior year, he had been on the roster for 48 games and started in all of them. In his junior and senior years, he helped pave the way for running backPooka Williams Jr. to rush for over 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. For his efforts, he was named 2nd teamAll-Big 12 Conference as a junior[2] and 1st team as a senior.[1]
Adeniji was invited to the 2020NFL Scouting Combine. Although he played tackle at Kansas, NFL AnalystLance Zierlein said he believed Adeniji may have to move to guard in the NFL.[4]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft4+3⁄8 in (1.94 m) | 302 lb (137 kg) | 33+3⁄4 in (0.86 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 5.17 s | 1.78 s | 2.98 s | 5.08 s | 8.32 s | 34 in (0.86 m) | 9 ft 7 in (2.92 m) | 26 reps | 34 |
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[4][5] | ||||||||||||
Adeniji was drafted by theCincinnati Bengals with the 180th overall selection in the sixth round of the2020 NFL draft.[6] In week 8 of the 2020 season, he recorded his first career start at tackle. He helped the Bengals, who had allowed 28 sacks through 7 games, allow zero sacks in the game for the first time all season.[7] He finished his rookie season with five starts and played in fifteen games.
Adeniji tore his pectoral muscle during offseason workouts and had season ending surgery to repair it in June 2021.[8] He was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list following the preseason.[9] He was activated on November 4, 2021.[10] In his first game back from injury, he made his sixth career start against theCleveland Browns.[11] He finished the season starting in and playing in nine games. He also got the start for the Bengals in their postseason victory over theLas Vegas Raiders, which was the Bengals first playoff win in 31 years.
Adeniji began the 2022 season as the backup right tackle behindLa'el Collins on the depth chart, he would be the team's swing tackle in all plays requiring six offensive linemen. Collins was injured in the Week 16 game against theNew England Patriots, leading Adeniji to become the starting right tackle for the rest of the season and the playoffs.[12] In theAFC Championship Game against theKansas City Chiefs, the Bengals offensive line allowed three sacks, two of which fromChris Jones, the right side defensive end.
Adeniji was waived by the Bengals on August 29, 2023.[13]
On August 31, 2023, Adeniji was signed to thepractice squad of theMinnesota Vikings.[14] On October 5, 2023, he was signed to the active roster.[15]
On March 13, 2024, Adeniji signed with theCleveland Browns.[16] He was placed on injured reserve on August 19.[17]
On April 18, 2025, Adeniji signed with theDallas Cowboys.[18] He was released by Dallas during final roster cuts, but was re-signed to the team's active roster on August 27.[19]
Adeniji married his fiancé Kayla in June 2021.[20] On November 4, 2024, the couple released a statement viaInstagram saying that their first son, Semiu Zade Adeniji, had beenstillborn on November 2, 2024.[21] "The fact that he is gone has set in now and nothing can change that," Adeniji wrote on Instagram on November 11, 2024. "I'll never get to see him grow up, and he'll never get to read his journal I wrote for him. I miss him and I'll miss him everyday for the rest of my life."[22]