Former Minnesota Viking/Cincinnati Bengal Moritz Böhringer returns to Germany’s Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns

The Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns have added to an already potent offense with the return to the fold of former NFL WR/TE Moritz Böhringer.

Böhringer’s story was like a fairytale for European players. He was the first European to be drafted by an NFL team without the benefit of having played college football. The 6’5″, 250 pound 27 year old receiver wowed NFL scouts and everyone else else at the 2016 Florida Atlantic Pro Day and was historically drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 6th round of the NFL Draft in 2016.

Although he never made it to the gameday roster, he spent two seasons practicing with the Vikings before being released and picked up by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018 and spent another two seasons there on the practice squad.

Böhringer is a native of Aalen (pop. 69,000) in southern Germany and spent the 2015 season with the Unicorns after playing for the Crailsheim Titans in Germany’s Division 5. In his one season with Schwäbisch Hall in Germany’s highest league, the German Football League, he was a key part of the team’s march to the GFL final catching 59 passes for 1,232 yards (20.9 yards per catch) and 13 touchdowns.

At the time, during a studio appearance on the Move The Sticks Podcast with Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks, he explained how he first started playing football in Aalen where soccer is otherwise the main sport.

“I searched for a team in Germany and found one in my hometown, but we only had seven players. We just practiced a bit, and after half a year we (found a full team) about 25 miles from my hometown and played there.”

Needless to say, Unicorns head coach Jordan Neuman is pleased to see Böhringer back in a Schwäbisch Hall uniform:

“Ever since Moritz left we have stayed in contact and it was always cool to see him show up at one of our practices or games over the years. I always wanted the best for Moritz in the pursuit of his NFL dream but in the back of my mind I always hoped that one day when that chapter of his life was over we would see him in a Unicorns jersey again one day, and that day has now come! Moritz has great football left in him and by returning to the GFL he will be able to compete in the top league in Europe, compete for a German Bowl and continue to play the game he loves because at the end of the day that’s what this is all about, playing the game.”

Although Neuman knows how much the young German will improve the offense, he is mindful of the impact he will have on the organization itself:

” There is no question Moritz will be an impact player on the field but I’m most excited for the experience he is going to be able to give back to our organization that he has gained over the last five years. Moritz can look back on his NFL experience and can be damn proud of being able to compete with the best football players in the world over such a long period of time. But his success story is not over as he now returns home to give back to the game in Germany and the fact that our youth will be able to see a German National player with NFL experience on a weekly basis will have a lasting impact on their motivation to the game for years to come.”

Check out Moritz Böhringer’s speech in German on his return and highlights from his 2015 season with the Unicorns.

This 2018 NFL Undiscovered segment on Böhringer explains his switch to tight end from wide receiver.

Check out Moritz Böhringer’s Florida Atlantic Pro Day that convinced Minnesota to draft him.