/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59589437/usa_today_9510550.0.jpg)
Some people called him “That German guy”
Some called him the Gangster of Love
Some people called him Morrrrrrrrrrrrrrritz
But he’s back, in the league that he loves. . .
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, former Minnesota Vikings draft choice Moritz Böhringer is back in the National Football League, but not with the purple.
According to our friends over at Cincy Jungle, Böhringer is signing with the Cincinnati Bengals as part of what’s called the International Player Pathway Program. The Bengals, along with the three other AFC North teams (the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers) will each be given an exemption to carry an eleventh member of their practice squad (that will be ineligible to be activated) during the season.
The players include Boehringer (Bengals), German Football League player Christopher Ezeala (Ravens), former British American Football League player Tigie Sankoh (Browns) and former English professional rugby player Christian Scotland-Williamson (Steelers).
For the past three months, the players have been training alongside NFL players and draft hopefuls in Florida, under the supervision of former NFLUK head of football Aden Durde, who was hired as the Atlanta Falcons defensive quality control coach after this season’s program. Additionally, IMG Academy coaches including running back coach Earnest Byner, offensive line coach Paul Dunn, defensive back coach Donnie Henderson and wide receiver coach Larry Kirksey have been coaching up these NFL hopefuls.
Böhringer was a sixth-round pick of the Vikings in the 2016 NFL Draft, making him the first player to ever be drafted without having played college football in North America. He spent the 2016 season on the practice squad, but was waived by the team following Training Camp in 2017 and not brought back to the practice squad.
Here’s hoping that Böhringer can catch on with the Bengals. With this new program, perhaps they’ll be able to develop him a little more than the Vikings were able to.