After Jeremiah Attaochu bullied his way around the edge of the Texans’ line for a thunderous nine-yard sack of DeShaun Watson last Sunday in Houston, Broncos fans were probably wondering a couple of things.

Who is this guy? What is that dance?

To understand the answer to both of those questions requires a rewind to Ibadan, Nigeria, where Attaochu is from. For the 26-year-old outside linebacker, signed as a free agent by Denver on Oct. 1, his roots explain both his play and his sack celebration — the “Shaku Shaku” dance that’s become a Nigerian cultural phenomenon.

“My upbringing taught me the perseverance and work ethic that I bring to football and life in general,” Attaochu said. “From a life experience standpoint, I went from Nigeria to living in the inner-city in Washington D.C. when I was eight. Those experiences have translated well into my football life, and how I’ve kept grinding even when I didn’t necessarily know what I was doing.”

A soccer standout growing up in D.C., Attaochu didn’t start playing football until ninth grade. He quickly blossomed into a star, first at Archbishop Carroll High and then at Georgia Tech. He racked up a school-record 31.5 career sacks with the Yellow Jackets, prompting the Chargers to trade up to draft him in the second round (No. 50 overall) in 2014. Related Articles After Broncos let him walk in free agency, Tampa Bay’s Shaquil Barrett returns to Denver as one of NFL’s best pass-rushers

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But a fast start to his NFL career fizzled. After blocking a punt and recording a strip-sack in his pro debut — and then emerging as a Chargers starter with 52 tackles and six sacks the next season — injuries and the emergence of other, younger players led to Attaochu’s departure.

Since then, he spent the 2017 preseason with San Francisco, 2018 with the Jets and this year’s camp with the Chiefs before signing with Denver, where coach Vic Fangio noted, “I wasn’t that fired up or impressed early, but he’s won me over.”

“His skill set fits us,” defensive coordinator Ed Donatell said. “He’s a guy with size and explosion and he fits our outside linebacker criteria. He fits better than with the other teams he was with because we are a true 3-4 (scheme) and he can have the rush and drop enough to help us. He keeps progressing and he’s a smart player.”

After totaling four tackles in Buffalo on Nov. 24, Attaochu was tabbed for his first Broncos start on Dec. 1 when Von Miller was ruled out with a knee injury. Attaochu started again last Sunday in Houston, this time for the injured Malik Reed.

He had two sacks and two tackles against the Texans, plus a fumble recovery that — after a heads-up handoff to Kareem Jackson — led to a 70-yard touchdown return and commanding 14-0 first-quarter lead.

“I was just trying to keep the play alive, and Kareem was right there calling for the ball,” Attaochu said. “I could see everyone kind of standing around waiting for the whistle and I knew we had nothing to lose. That’s how I’ve been playing lately.”

The touchdown return is the most notable big play by the Denver defense in 2019, a season Attaochu wasn’t sure he was going to be a part of. After posting 82 tackles and 12 sacks in his first five years, he feared his NFL career might be over. Now, Fangio asserted this week the linebacker will “continue to play a lot.”

“Earlier this year, there were definitely doubts,” Attaochu said. “And there’s been times over the past couple seasons where I felt like I was ready, but the opportunity wasn’t there. Things are starting to fall into place here, though, in terms of finding the right fit with these coaches, teammates and organization.”

With three games left on his one-year, $805,000 deal, Attaochu still has plenty to play for as he attempts to prove his worth to a coaching staff that has its eye on 2020. He’s already made a fan of Von Miller — Attaochu is “a (heck) of a talent,” the All-Pro noted — and he’s been practicing his “Shaku Shaku” moves all week long in practice.

Attaochu’s intention is to unveil an upgraded celebration this week at Arrowhead Stadium, against the team that recently cut him loose.

“Last week I had so much adrenaline and had so much adrenaline when I did it, so it didn’t really look like a dance, it looked like a pose,” Attaochu said with a laugh. “You’ll see an improved version, this weekend, for sure.”