The NFL debuted its international player pathway program in 2017 by assigning four players from overseas to NFC South teams and giving them roster exemptions to remain as the 11th player on the practice squad during the season.
The program will continue in 2018 with the four AFC North teams getting assigned players this time. The Ravens are the first team to announce their foreign addition.
It is fullback Chris Ezeala, who also played linebacker and special teams, including time as a punter, in the German League for the last three years. Ezeala has spent the last three months training with former Ravens running back Earnest Byner at the IMG Academy in Florida.
Converted defensive tackle Patrick Ricard is the only other fullback on the Ravens right now. That won’t make the jump in competition any easier for Ezeala to handle, but it does offer a path to the 53-man roster if he can show the potential to offer the team more than Ricard did last season.
