German-born Sebastian Vollmer, Markus Kuhn bond as Patriots teammates

2:40 PM ET

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – First-year New England Patriots defensive tackle Markus Kuhn walked out of the tunnel to greet the assembled media at Gillette Stadium with a smile. As he settled in place, one reporter said, “Wilkommen.”

The German-born Kuhn smiled.

“Not bad. Did you talk to Sea Bass before?” he said.

Sea Bass, of course, is German-born Patriots right tackle Sebastian Vollmer.

This is one of the NFL’s unique stories of the offseason, Kuhn and Vollmer becoming teammates. Last year, they were two of just five German-born players on an NFL roster, joining Bjoern Werner (Colts, now Jaguars), Kasim Edebali (Saints) and Mark Nzeocha (Cowboys).

The ranks have grown in 2016 with wide receiver Moritz Bohringer drafted in the sixth round by the Minnesota Vikings. Bohringer will become the first player to reach the NFL straight from Europe (he started playing in 2013 and was with the Schwabisch Hall Unicorns of the German Football League).

DT Markus Kuhn, who signed with the Patriots after four years with the Giants, is enjoying his time in New England. pic.twitter.com/Le4Xa5Qw0i

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) May 17, 2016

“I’m just happy for the football and the guys in Germany; there’s a bigger market coming over from Germany and more and more guys all over the globe are interested in the sport and …

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