Björn Werner (; born August 30, 1990) is a German former professional player of
American football
American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
who was a
defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...
for the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He played
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the
Florida State Seminoles
The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University (FSU) located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I, prima ...
, earning
unanimous All-American
The College Football All-America Team is an honorific college football all-star team compiled after each NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) season to recognize that season's most outstanding performers at their respective positions. ...
honors in 2012. Werner was selected by the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
in the first round of the
2013 NFL draft
The 2013 NFL draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
. He is co-owner and sports director of the
Berlin Thunder of the
European League of Football
The European League of Football (ELF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football sports league, league based in Europe, continuing some team names and logos of the former NFL Europe. The ELF played its first season in 2 ...
(ELF).
Early life
Werner grew up in the
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
neighborhoods of
Wedding
A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...
and
Reinickendorf
Reinickendorf () is the twelfth borough of Berlin. It encompasses the northwest of the city area, including the Berlin Tegel Airport, Lake Tegel, spacious settlements of detached houses as well as housing estates like Märkisches Viertel.
Subd ...
. He originally played for the
Berlin Adler
The Berlin Adler () is an American football club based in Berlin, Germany. The club is one of the most successful clubs in the sport in Germany, having won six German Bowls as well as ten ''Ladies Bowls'' and five ''Junior Bowls''.
International ...
, before attending
Salisbury School in
Salisbury, Connecticut
Salisbury () is a New England town, town situated in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is the northwesternmost in the state of Connecticut; the Connecticut-Massachusetts-New York tri-state marker is located at the northwest ...
, as an
exchange student in 2007, as part of an exchange program organized by
Pat Steenberge. He had 54 tackles, including 24 for losses, 12 sacks and two fumble recoveries in just eight games, but returned to Germany for his junior year. In 2008, he played on the
U-19 Germany national team against the
Poland U-19 squad in
Będzin
Będzin (; also seen spelled ''Bendzin''; ) is a city in the Dąbrowa Basin, in southern Poland. It lies in the Silesian Highlands, on the Czarna Przemsza River (a tributary of the Vistula River, Vistula). Even though part of Silesian Voivodeship ...
, winning 67–0. In 2009, Werner returned to Salisbury, and logged 57 tackles in seven games with three sacks, four forced fumbles and two blocked field goals as a senior.
Despite having played
high school football
High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...
for only two years, Werner was regarded a three-star recruit and ranked the fifth overall prospect in the state of Connecticut by
Rivals.com. Werner chose FSU over
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
,
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...
, and
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, during a
National Signing Day
National Signing Day has traditionally been the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for a collegiate sport with a school that is a Division II member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...
telecast on
ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
.
Over
spring break
Spring break is a vacation period at universities and schools that includes the Easter holiday, and takes place in early Northern Hemisphere spring. Introduced in the U.S. during the 1930s, spring break has been observed in Europe since t ...
2010, Werner married his girlfriend Denise, whom he had met in tenth grade in Berlin.
College career
Werner enrolled in
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
in
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Fl ...
, where he was a member of coach
Jimbo Fisher's
Florida State Seminoles football
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University (variously Florida State or FSU) in the sport of American football. The Florida State Seminoles, Seminoles compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FB ...
team from 2010 through 2012. He appeared in all 14 games as a
true freshman
The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''.
0–9
...
, registering 20 tackles, including 6.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, as a backup of senior defensive end
Markus White. In his sophomore season, he took over as starter at left defensive end, registered 37 tackles, including 25 solo stops, 11 tackles for loss and 7 sacks for a Florida State defense that ranked second in rushing defense, fourth in scoring defense and sixth in total defense. In his junior season, he had his best collegiate season. He registered 42 tackles, 30 solo stops, 18 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. He was voted the 2012 Defensive Player of the Year.
Professional career
Pre-draft
In preseason
mock draft
Mock draft is a term used by sports websites and magazines in reference to a simulation of a sports league draft (sports), draft or fantasy sports league's draft. ESPN has run mock drafts on the front page of its website, allowing any visitor to ...
s from May 2012, Werner was listed as a late first-rounder for the
2013 NFL draft
The 2013 NFL draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
.
By mid-season, he had moved up to a top-3 spot. The Seminoles had not seen one of their players selected in the top-3 since
Andre Wadsworth in
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
. On January 3, 2013, Werner announced his decision to enter the
2013 NFL draft
The 2013 NFL draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
. He signed with agent
Jimmy Sexton of
Creative Artists Agency
Creative Artists Agency, LLC (CAA) is an American talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles, California. With 1,800 employees in March 2016, it is regarded as an influential company in the talent agency business and manages numerous client ...
.
Indianapolis Colts
2013 season
In the 2013 NFL Draft, the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
selected him in the first round, 24th overall.
On July 24, 2013, Werner signed a four-year contract worth $7.9 million featuring a $4.12 million signing bonus. On September 8, 2013, Werner played his first NFL game. During a 21-17 win over the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
, Werner made also his first tackle. In week 15, Werner had his first sack in the NFL against the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
. During the season, Werner played in 13 games making 18 tackles with 4 passes defended and 2.5 sacks. Werner entered the playoffs with the Colts and played in both of the Colts' playoff games: their Wild Card win over the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
Established in 1959 ...
and their Divisional Round loss to the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
.
2014 season
Werner had 3 tackles in a Week 1 loss against the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
. He had his first career two-sack game against the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
in Week 5. After Week 7, however, his only stat other than tackles was a pass defensed in Week 16 against the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
. Although he was active for the Colts' playoff wins over the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
and
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
, he was inactive for their AFC Championship Game loss to the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
.
2015 season
Werner appeared in 10 games during the 2015 season, making 13 combined tackles. On March 8, 2016, he was waived by the Colts.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Werner signed with the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
on May 11, 2016. He was released on August 30, 2016.
Retirement
On January 15, 2017, during the divisional playoff game between the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
and the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...
, Werner, as a color commentator for German broadcaster
Sat.1, announced his retirement from professional football, citing ongoing problems from injuries as his reason. Werner will continue his work on supporting young European talents to become players in America and the NFL.
European League of Football
On September 21, 2021, it was revealed that Werner became a co-owner of the
Berlin Thunder of the
European League of Football
The European League of Football (ELF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football sports league, league based in Europe, continuing some team names and logos of the former NFL Europe. The ELF played its first season in 2 ...
(ELF).
Broadcasting career
Since his retirement from professional football, Werner has served as a commentator and analyst for NCAA and NFL games on German television. He is co-host of the podcast ''Football Bromance''.
References
External links
Florida State Seminoles bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Werner, Bjorn
1990 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Berlin
German players of American football
American football linebackers
American football defensive ends
Florida State Seminoles football players
All-American college football players
Indianapolis Colts players
Jacksonville Jaguars players
German expatriate sportspeople in the United States