JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Welsh rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit has joined the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars.
Rees-Zammit arrived at the facility Thursday and signed a contract to be on team’s practice squad and was expected to be on the field with teammates afterward.
By signing with Jacksonville, Rees-Zammit could be in London for two NFL games in October. The Jaguars play the Chicago Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 13 and then face the New England Patriots at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 20.
Rees-Zammit signed with two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City in March as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. The running back/receiver was released Tuesday after carrying six times for 22 yards and catching one pass for 3 yards in the preseason.
He landed in Jacksonville, which lost IPPP tight end Patrick Murtagh to a season-ending injury in training camp. The former Australian rules footballer broke his right ankle in practice in early August and was carted off the field in an air cast.
Murtagh is rehabbing in Jacksonville and expected to get another shot in 2025.
The 23-year-old Rees-Zammit, one of the best wingers in rugby, announced in January that he was leaving the Welsh national team to pursue a dream of playing in the NFL.
He was one of 15 athletes from eight countries participating in the NFL’s international program. The prospects spent 10 weeks training at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and got a crash course in practicing the fundamentals of football and learning the intricacies of a game most have never played.
Rees-Zammit ran an official time of 4.43 in the 40-yard dash when the international players participated in the University of South Florida’s pro day. He drew a lot of attention from a crowd that included 51 scouts from 31 teams.
NFL teams get an extra roster spot on their practice squad for an international player.
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