On Monday, the Buccaneers signed German offensive tackle Lorenz Metz, who played for the University of Cincinnati after being introduced to American football at the age of 18.
Lorenz Metz, who grew up in Bavaria, Germany and didn’t play American football until he was 18, is getting a second chance in the NFL. Metz, a former University of Cincinnati offensive lineman, was signed by the Buccaneers on Monday; he does not count against the 90-man offseason roster limit because he is part of the International Player Pathway Program.
Metz made his NFL debut last spring, signing with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in May. He was dismissed shortly before training camp and had a tryout with the New York Giants, but did not make the team for the 2023 season. Metz, who is 6-9 and weighs 310 pounds, played guard and tackle for the Bearcats and was named first-team All-AAC as a junior in 2021. During his time in Cincinnati, he started 27 games, but ankle ailments limited him to only five in 2022.
Metz led Cincinnati set a school record with a 13-1 record in 2021, earning a position in the College Football Playoff. That Bearcats team set school records for touchdowns (70) and points scored (516), and it finished ninth in the country with an average of 6.71 yards per play. Metz also received numerous academic awards and graduated in 201 with a degree in industrial management.
Metz’s first taste of American football came with the Kirchdorf Wildcats of the German Football League. He subsequently took advantage of a recruitment program for overseas football players, receiving many Division I scholarship offers.
Metz is the Buccaneers’ third offensive lineman recruited since the start of free agency, following former Giant Ben Bredeson and former Eagle Sua Opeta. Two offensive lineman on the Bucs’ 2023 roster, Aaron Stinnie and Nick Leverett, have signed elsewhere in free agency, while the third, Matt Feiler, remains unsigned.
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