International practice-squad players assigned

June 12, 2008 4:46 PM


Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson

The NFL will continue its international player program this season for the fifth straight year. However, this year, the program is expanding significantly.

Sixteen international players will be joining practice squads for the entire season to promote the development of players worldwide. The expansion was approved by teams at last month's spring meetings. Teams from the AFC North, AFC West, NFC South and the NFC West will each have an international player.

Here is the list, courtesy of the NFL, of the international players:

 PLAYER

NFL TEAM 

COUNTRY 

 AGE

BACKGROUND 

RB Jermaine Allen Saints UK 24Spent 2007 on Chicago's practice squad. Played 2 seasons in NFL Europa.
WR Marvin Allen Steelers UK 25Spent 2006 (Pittsburgh) and 2007 (Miami) on NFL practice squads. Played 3 years in NFL Europa.
LB Carl-Johan Bjork Bengals Sweden 26Spent 2006 (Dallas) and 2007 (Green Bay) on NFL practice squads. Played 3 seasons in NFL Europa.
LB Jason Brisbane Chargers UK 25Helped London Blitz win British American Football League (BAFL) title in 2007. Was 2004 MVP in BAFL.
LB Eduardo Castaneda Cardinals Mexico 25Spent 2007 on Houston's practice squad. Played 1 year in NFL Europa.
LB Aden Durde Chiefs UK 28Spent 2005 on Carolina's practice squad. Played 5 seasons in NFL Europa.
OT Samuel Gutekunst Seahawks Germany 24Spent 2006 (Baltimore) and 2007 (Jacksonville) on NFL practice squads. Played 3 years in NFL Europa.
S Sergey Ivanov Bucs Russia 23Played 3 seasons in NFL Europa.
WR Noriaki Kinoshita Falcons Japan 25Spent 2007 training camp with Atlanta. Played 3 years in NFL Europa.
DT Mauricio Lopez Raiders Mexico 29Spent 2007 training camp with Philadelphia. Played 3 seasons in NFL Europa.
DE Christian Mohr Browns Germany 28Spent 2 seasons on NFL practice squads with Seattle (2004) and Philadelphia (2006). Played 4 years in NFL Europa.
LB Manuel Padilla Broncos Mexico 25Named to All-Star team twice at Monterrey Tech.
OT Ramiro Pruneda 49ers Mexico 25Spent 2007 on NFL practice squads with Kansas City and Philadelphia. Played 1 season in NFL Europa.
S Sebastian Sejean Rams France 24Played at University of Laval. Member of French Senior National Team at World Cup of American Football.
LB Shaun Smith Panthers UK 26Played 2 seasons in NFL Europa.
DT Salomon Solano Ravens Mexico 22Spent 2007 on Detroit's practice squad. Played 1 season in NFL Europa.

 

NFL practice squads

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