Meet Abdoul Moubarak Djeri, the Togo-born German Football League player who’s trying to make the Cardinals’ roster

TEMPE, Arizona — After his first practice in the National Football League, Arizona Cardinals defensive end Abdoul Moubarak Djeri was asked what the most difficult adjustment has been compared to his time in the German Football League.

But Djeri wasn’t sure what the word “adjustment” meant.

While every other rookie at the Cardinals’ three-day minicamp is contending with a brand new playbook and the Arizona heat, Djeri is also battling a bit of a language barrier. As if transitioning from his time with Cologne Crocodiles wasn’t challenging enough.

“I have to learn how to speak better, so I keep watching English movies,” Djeri said. “I watch Netflix and I watch movies on that. ... And if you’re on the field, everyone talks English and helps me a little bit to learn.”

Djeri, 22, was born in Togo, where he spent the first 11 years of his life before moving to Germany in 2007. Before he could start to learn English, he first had to learn German. It wasn’t until he was 18 he began playing American football.

“At the time I started to move into football, I started to learn English more,” Djeri said. “In school, we learned it, but the English that people speak here is not the same. It’s different.”

Standing 6’3, 275 pounds, Djeri looks the part of an NFL defensive end. In his pursuit of a contract, he went to Instagram, posting video after video of his workouts:

But the breakthrough came largely thanks to David Odenthal, the offensive coordinator of the Cologne Crocodiles, and a Toledo alumnus. Through his connections in America, Odenthal was able to tell Cardinals scout Ryan Gold about Djeri. The team signed the talented, but raw, prospect in March.

Djeri is the third former GFL player on an NFL roster — joining Cincinnati Bengals tight end Moritz Boehringer and Baltimore Ravens fullback Christopher Ezeala. There’s also Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Eric Nzeocha, who was born in Germany and played college football at Wyoming.

Boehringer, Ezeala, and Nzeocha are all participants in the NFL’s International Player Pathway program that allows teams to keep an extra practice squad player from another country. Djeri isn’t a part of that program, making his path to a roster spot more challenging.

“I love the way he works,” Cardinals coach Steve Wilks said of Djeri. “[Defensive line coach] Don Johnson is doing a great job with him as far as really giving him the things he needs to really understand the base fundamentals. So I’m excited about him. Again, he’s a project. We’ll see how it goes.”

The climb to make the Cardinals’ roster is steep for the Togo native — a more realistic expectation is finding a spot on the practice squad, where he would have time to learn and develop. But if it doesn’t happen, he guarantees it won’t be for a lack of effort. His family is halfway across the world, and Djeri says he’s determined not to let them down.

“I miss them, but I know why I’m here. I want to do something for my family, that’s why I’m here,” Djeri said. “The best thing I can do is work, work, work and that’s what I’m going to do.”