ELF: Vienna Vikings bring back versatile veteran Exavier Edwards

| American Football | 12/17/2022

The Vienna Vikings of the European League of Football have agreed to terms to bring back veteran American defensive back, running back, and return man Exavier Edwards.

Edwards is excited to defend the ELF title in Vienna after a fantastic season that culminated in the league’s second championship:

“I decided to re-sign with Vienna because the main reason for me was simply the teammates which I call my brothers. At Vienna this past season was a true brotherhood so why not make another run at it again. I love the whole organization, and the city of Vienna has definitely been welcoming. I’m blessed for this situation and ready to go back to work with my brothers and the great coaching staff in the 2023 season!”

The 5’10,” 195-pound Los Angeles, California native played all over the field for the ELF champion Vienna Vikings in 2022. On offense, he put up 113 yards and five touchdowns as a running back, while making 45 total tackles, one tackle for loss, and two interceptions in eleven games as a defensive back.  On special teams, the 29 year old also made a big impact racking up 561 yards as a returner.

Edwards has been an impact player in Europe for some time now. In 2021, he suited up for the Braunschweig New Yorker Lions in the German Football League. Similar to 2022, he lined up all over the field for the Lions splitting time as a running back and safety for the German powerhouse. Offensively, Edwards finished the season with 1,144 all-purpose yards and 11 touchdowns. The versatile athlete tallied 724 rushing yards, along with contributing as a receiver and kick returner. On the other side of the ball, he flashed the ability to change the game with limited snaps, finishing the season with nine tackles, three tackles for a loss, two sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

Prior to the season in Braunschweig, Edwards played both ways for France’s Thonon Black Panthers in 2020 before the covid 19 pandemic cut the season short. One year earlier, he was playing in Turkey for the ODTU Falcons in his first international stop.

Edwards spent his college days as part of the Midland University Warriors (NAIA) in Fremont, Nebraska. Unsurprisingly, Edwards played various positions in college lining up at wide receiver, running back, safety, and kick returner. In 2017, Edwards earned All-Conference honors as a kick returner and defensive back scoring two return touchdowns, to go along with making 37 tackles and two interceptions.

The well-travelled veteran re-joins a Vikings defense that looks to repeat as ELF champions. Edwards is back along with Austrian stars Benjamin Straight officially. Many fans are assuming other defensive stars such as Leon Balogh, along with linebacker Thomas Schnurrer will also be back in purple. It will be interesting to see who the Vikings pair with Edwards on defense as far as an American import.

Alex is a former NCAA and semi-pro American football player who is now located in London, where he works in digital marketing. His goal in writing for AFI is to stay involved with the game that has given him so much. Alex enjoys covering leagues and