ELF: Rhein Fire sign NFL IPP combine invite Dutch TE Silvan Barelds

AFI | American Football | 01/31/2022

Igor Lazarevic

The Rhein Fire of the European League of Football have signed Dutch tight end Silvan Barelds.

Barelds already knows the Dusseldorf area well as he suited up for the Panther of the German Football League last season.

At 6’5″, 255 pounds, Barelds is a massive target in the middle of the field. The Dutchmen’s physical prowess and sky-high potential earned him an invite to last year’s NFL International Combine in London. Bareld’s impressed scouts with his athleticism and size, running a top five unofficial 40-yard dash.

Top 40-yard dash times at the #NFL International Combine:

Marcel Dabo – 4.525
Robin Wilzeck – 4.594
Chad Walrond – 4.654
Jacob Smillie – 4.66
Silvan Barelds – 4.716
Aymeric Nicault – 4.727
Maceo Beard – 4.728
Andy Owusu – 4.741
Joshua Addams – 4.747
Brandon Camara – 4.791

— Cameron Hogwood (@ch_skysports) October 12, 2021

Unfortunately, the 23-year old was not selected as part of the International Player Pathway Program this year, leaving him free to play near home and continue to chase his football dreams.

Barelds’s success in pads started while playing for the Groningen Giants in the Netherlands from 2017-2020. Looking to step up his game he joined German Football League second division last season. As a member of the Dusseldorf Panther, Barelds, a first-year tight end, provided a massive target for his quarterback putting up 16 catches for 331 yards and four touchdowns in nine games.

Barelds is the latest in a flurry of International Combine invites to take their talents to the ELF. Now the young tight end joins a Rhein Fire team that has already signed French running back Jason Aguemon, linemen Sven Breidenbach and Nick Weins, along with receiver Nathaniel Robitaille. However, the quarterback and head coach positions do remain a mystery in Dusseldorf.