Former rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit has agreed to join the Jacksonville Jaguars, two days after being released by the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Welshman will join the practice squad and has been listed as a wide receiver by the franchise after joining the Chiefs as a running back.
Rees-Zammit, who is believed to be joining on a one-year deal, had established himself as a rugby superstar before his shock announcement this year that he was stepping away from the sport.
His family was in Kansas City to support him during preseason training camp with the Super Bowl champions.
Jacksonville already has a loaded roster at running back, with players like Travis Etienne, Tank Bigsby, D’Ernest Johnson and Keilan Robinson on the roster. Robinson is currently on injured reserve.
Louis Rees-Zammit has agreed to a one-year contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars
The 23-year-old Welshman was released by the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this week.
In three preseason games with Kansas City, Rees-Zammit had six carries for 22 yards and one reception for three yards.
His best performance came in the 34-21 loss to the Chicago Bears, where Rees-Zammit ran four times for 21 total yards.
But he was only fourth in the team in races and overall it was not enough to convince Andy Reid of his place in the team.
Rees-Zammit always faced an uphill task to make the team in his rookie season. Although the Welshman has always dreamed of an NFL career, he had never played a game before joining the NFL’s International Player Pathway program in January.
He went through a 10-week training camp before impressing scouts at a pro day. Rees-Zammit received interest from nearly half of the NFL’s 32 teams.
