Oct 27th 09:30, by Florian Puth

One who lived the NFL dream - Dominik Eberle

Eric Muehle

Oct 27th 09:30, by Florian Puth

One who lived the NFL dream - Dominik Eberle

If you ask young American football players what their big goal is, most of them will probably answer "to play in the NFL one day". The US league is still considered the biggest in American football. Many players in Europe probably dream of this too. 

Some players from the European League of Football have already been able to make this dream come true. Dominik Eberle is one of them. The Berlin Thunder kicker once played in the NFL himself. But first things first. 

Eberle was born in the German city of Nuremberg and grew up nearby. Like most young boys there, Eberle also began playing soccer. At the age of 14, he moved to California. He continued to play soccer here as well. 

Until he put a shot very far over the goal. A friend then asked him if he would like to start playing American football. An offer that Eberle accepted at the time. His fascination for the sport began.

First kicker attempts at high school

Eberle first played as a kicker at Redondo Union High School. He later attended Utah State University. Kickers usually have a hard time in the NFL draft. Only rarely is a kicker drafted. This fate also happened to Eberle, who was not selected.

Shortly after the draft, however, the Las Vegas Raiders, his first NFL team, contacted him. They signed him in 2020. He did not yet make his NFL debut. Eberle ended up on the practice squad. 

His first time on an NFL field was in August 2021. He played for the Raiders in the pre-season and converted all field goal attempts. However, it was not enough for a place on the roster. Eberle was released and shortly afterward moved to the Carolina Panthers' practice squad.

This was followed by further stops with the Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. In his two years in the NFL, Eberle made four field goal attempts, three of which were successful. He also made nine extra point attempts, of which he converted seven.

Covid made his debut possible

Eberle then moved to the Houston Texans in December 2021. As their kicker Kaʻimi Fairbairn had a positive Covid-19 test, Eberle was called up to the active squad. He finally made his NFL debut against the Los Angeles Chargers.

"I can still remember very clearly that as soon as the ball left my foot, I knew: 'Okay, it's in'. And that's just the first moment when you can take a deep breath and say: 'Hey, I've arrived in the NFL'," said Eberle about his debut in an interview with the German magazine "Kicker".

Back to Germany through the XFL

In February 2023, he left the NFL and joined the Seattle Sea Dragons. These played in the American football league XFL. After a successful season with 14 converted field goals out of 18 attempts, Eberle decided to return home.

He was introduced to the ELF in April 2024. He moved to Berlin Thunder with great ambitions. But things turned out differently. Eberle missed most of the season due to an injury, and the Thunder missed the playoffs

Nevertheless, Eberle has already lived his NFL dream.

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