ELF: Barcelona Dragons sign former Philidelphia Eagles DL Myke Tavarres

| American Football | 06/09/2021

The Barcelona Dragons of the European League of Football have signed former Philadelphia Eagles edge defender Myke Tavarres.

Tavarres joins Spain’s lone ELF franchise as head coach Adam Rita looks to prepare the Dragons for their June 19th season opener.

Jesús Sánchez, the personnel director of club, commented on the signing of the former NFL linebacker:

“He is a player with a lot of experience, also in the NFL. In addition, he arrives in very good physical shape. His versatility will contribute a lot to the team. He can play on both sides of the ball and he does really well in every position he can play. Due to his age and career, we believe that he will be a great leader and a very good partner. He will play that leading role in and out of the dressing room to perfection. We are very happy to be able to count on him, both the coaching staff and the entire franchise”.

The 6’2″, 230 pound 28-year-old comes to Spain after a playing professionally for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and most recently the Nebraska Danger of the Indoor Football League in 2018. Tavarres was signed by the Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2016 after a stellar collegiate career at University of the Incarnate Word (NCAA D1 FCS). During his senior season the quick twitch edge defender racked up an impressive 22.5 tackles for a loss, eight and a half sacks, five pass break ups, and 110 total tackles. His breakout senior campaign earned the former junior college transfer AFCA FCS All-America First Team as well as Southland Conference First Team honors.

Before arriving at the University of the Incarnate Word, Tavarres played football, ran track, and wrestled at Lakeridge High School in Oregon. The newest Dragon then played two seasons of junior college football at the College of the Siskiyous in California. After two straight all-conference junior college seasons, the Oregon native signed with the University of Arkansas where he spent one year before transferring to University of the Incarnate Word.

Watch Tavarres’s college highlights

About the ELF

The European League of Football, ELF, kicks off  June 19, and will wind up with the championship game in September. Eight teams will vie for the title: the Hamburg Sea Devils, Berlin Thunder, Frankfurt Galaxy, Cologne Centurions, Stuttgart Surge, Leipzig Kings, Wroclaw Panthers (Poland), and the Barcelona Dragons (Spain).

Alex is a former NCAA and semi-pro American football player who is now located in London, where he works in digital marketing. His goal in writing for AFI is to stay involved with the game that has given him so much. Alex enjoys covering leagues and