The European League of Football will enter its fourth season this year. As every year, teams signed new players, hired new coaches, and developed young athletes to improve their roster and therefore their overall performance. With less than three weeks until kickoff, let’s see where I think the teams stack up on paper!

It is time for my pre-season power ranking!
 

Rhein Fire is the reigning champion and looks even scarier now compared to their roster with which they won the Championship Game last September. I do not know how this is possible, but by keeping the league MVP Jadrian Clark at quarterback and signing even more homegrown players with Division I experience, Rhein Fire keeps improving. There is no way around ranking the ELF Champion at #1 going into the season!

The Stuttgart Surge have to be ranked right here at two because of their offseason moves. And if you think that there weren’t many, you are absolutely right. This is exactly the reason why the Surge will again come out swinging because their managed to retain their quarterback Reilley Hennessey, their wide receiver trio with Darrell Stewart Jr., Yannick Mayr, and Louis Geyer while also improving on defense with signings like Chris Mulumba or Christian Tutt. The Surge look loaded and ready to take on any opponent on their schedule.

The Vienna Vikings were the silent assassin of this year’s offseason. They did not make a lot of changes but the ones they have made could have immediate impacts. Quarterback Ben Holmes could be a gamechanger for the Vikings, especially with the weapons like Weston Carr and Jordan Bouah. On defense, the Austrian franchise doubled down on the defensive backfield with their American spots for the first time since joining the European League of Football. Exavier Edwards and Hunter Nichols will certainly form a dangerous duo to throw to. Expect the Vikings coming out in Week 1 with the same goal they had in mind since joining the league: win the ELF Championship Game.

Joe Thomas. With his knowledge of the game, his endless NFL experience, and his role as the offensive line coach for the Munich Ravens, the former NFL All-Pro and the Bavarian franchise managed to lure the best German offensive lineman to their lovely city in the south of Germany. I know that offensive line isn’t everything, but being the best team to protect your quarterback and to block for your running back doesn’t hurt. Add quarterback Chad Jeffries, running back Tomiwa Oyewo, and former NFL wide receiver Jon Cole to the mix and you have yourself an offense ready to face off against any defense this league has to offer. The Ravens belong in the Top 5 conversation this season which makes their matchup against the Stuttgart Surge THE game to watch in Week 1.

The Paris Musketeers are looking dangerous. Quarterback Zach Edwards is heading into his second year with the Musketeers after playing for the Barcelona Dragons in 2021 and 2022. In my opinion, Edwards will have the best offensive weapons he has ever had in this league. With a wide receiver room built of former Rhein Fire wide receiver Anthony Mahoungou, Rémi Bertellin, Cheikou Sow, plus the leading-wide receiver of the GFL in 2023 Austin Mitchell, Edwards has everything he needs at display. Only the offensive line could provide some issues once again, but even the big men up front were upgraded with three total E-import spots. Let’s see what the Musketeers can do with a great looking defense, but an even better-looking offense on paper this upcoming season.

In my opinion, the Berlin Thunder are one of the teams that improved the most over the offseason. With former Frankfurt Galaxy quarterback Jakeb Sullivan taking over, the German franchise easily has the best quarterback under center since their revival in 2021. With all the offensive weapons the Thunder were able to keep, including wide receiver Robin Wilzeck and Aaron Jackson, the offense in Berlin has the potential to be more than productive. And I guess it also helps to have the two-time Defensive Player of the Year Kyle Kitchens on defense and former NFL kicker Dominik Eberle on special teams to set up your team for success. If I had to take a guess based on the current roster and the Eastern Conference, the Thunder look capable of snatching a ticket to the Championship Game this year.

Speaking of the Eastern Conference, the Wroclaw Panthers look ready for their best season in the European League of Football yet. With eight American coaches on their roster, Steve Duncan as their new quarterback and A.J. Wentland returning on defense, the Polish franchise has done everything in their power to put together an incredible team for the 2024 season. Let’s see how they will fare against the Thunder and the Vikings in the Eastern Conference as their biggest obstacles to the playoffs. But the Panthers surely look ready to dominate this season.

New quarterback, new running back, new wide receiver. The Frankfurt Galaxy pressed the reset button on offense and managed to sign former Milano Seamen quarterback Luke Zahradka, former Tirol Raiders running back Sandro Platzgummer, and former Munich Ravens wide receiver Markell Castle for the upcoming season. If that is not enough to convince you that the Galaxy are not playing around this season, the German franchise also managed to retain most of their homegrown impact players like Joshua Poznanski and Daniel Josiah.

The Raiders Tirol made a lot of great moves this offseason. But one move I didn’t like was losing former NFL running back Sandro Platzgummer to the Frankfurt Galaxy. Although the Austrian playmaker only appeared in four games for the franchise due to injury, he will leave a hole that cannot be filled with another homegrown player of his level. However, I like the former XFL dual-threat quarterback D’Angelo Fulford taking over under center for the Austrian franchise. He could develop into the best quarterback for the Raiders since moving on from Sean Shelton in 2022.

10.  Madrid Bravos

This spot for the Madrid Bravos will come to most of you as a surprise. A new team that still has everything to prove in the Top 10? Yes. And let me tell you why. For their first year in the European League of Football, the Bravos are doing a lot of things right. They have signed former Vienna Vikings quarterback Chris Helbig who is at least a Top 10 quarterback in this league and has already experienced how it is like to play in the ELF. They have (by far) the better homegrown talent on their roster compared to the Barcelona Dragons and they invested their A- and E-Spot wisely. I really like what the Bravos are cooking up in the capital of Spain. It for sure looks delicious. Let’s see if the taste can back that up at the end of this month.

For Hamburg Sea Devils fans, it must be tough to see their former team not finding a spot in the Top 10 of this pre-season ranking. The first two years of this franchise were nothing short of incredible. Being a two-time runner up in the first two seasons of the ELF was an incredible accomplishment. But there are again a lot of new players on the Sea Devils roster with most of the team only having once ELF season under their belt. However, signing former Raiders wide receiver Jarvis McClam and former Panthers defensive back Lee Pitts were great moves for both sides of the ball. It will be interesting to see how the Sea Devils fare in a tough Western Conference this season.

The only Italian franchise in the ELF was able to almost keep their entire roster together. They have lost Offensive Rookie of the Year Ali Khalife to the Berlin Thunder, but other than that had a solid offseason. New quarterback Zach Bronkhorst will be interesting to see with his new teammate and former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Patrick Carr. I am excited to see what the Seamen are able to accomplish in 2024. But for now, they still have more to prove than other teams.

The Helvetic Mercenaries went through a wild offseason with a new ownership, a new team name and a new team infrastructure. However, their roster almost stayed the same compared to last season with the signing that were made official so far. Plus, former Istanbul Rams head coach Val Gunn was hired as their new head coach. If someone knows how to maneuver through a difficult situation with a franchise in the ELF, it’s him.

In year four for the Cologne Centurions, I am still struggling to see any hope for a return to the playoffs. As almost every year, the German franchise managed to find great American import players to strengthen the roster. But their homegrown talent keeps looking fairly slim compared to (or even because of) their big brother up the Rhein. Let’s see what the Centurions are able to do in 2024.

The Enthroners are a team that will still be limited by their homegrown players in 2024. However, their American imports have upgraded compared to last season. With former Rhein Fire wide receiver Nathaniel Robitaille signing with the Hungarian franchise in the offseason plus Dutch youngster and ELF newcomer Samuel Bhoedjang, they should at least be dangerous on offense keeping defensive backfields on their toes for all four quarters.

The Barcelona Dragons have lost a lot of players over the course of the offseason. Although players like Cesare and Jordi Brugnani are returning for their fourth season with the team, it is difficult to rank the Dragons any higher with only 24 announced players on their roster. However, quarterback Levi Lewis is someone you should look out for as he has potential to be Zach Edwards 2.0 for the Spanish franchise.

I know that the Prague Lions restructured their organization and that they will probably perform at a higher level this season compared to last season. But some team has to come last in my power ranking. And for now, it is the Prague Lions.