Louis Rees-Zammit always imagined himself as an NFL receiver.
Last week, the Welsh rugby star switched teams from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Jacksonville Jaguars and also changed his position. He spent five months working as a running back with the Chiefs, who have won the Super Bowl twice in a row.
Now, he’s excited about his new position, which he believes suits him better.
“I think I’m much better off playing receiver with my size and strength,” Rees-Zammit said after practice on Wednesday. “I think that’s probably a position that suits me a lot more. It was a good experiment to try running back out at the Chiefs, but I think we all realized that I would probably be a receiver eventually.
“And here we are today. I’m loving training at receiver and I’m loving learning the role and am going to continue to improve.”
The Chiefs released Rees-Zammit in the final roster cuts last week after he had six carries for 22 yards and one catch for 3 yards during the preseason. He quickly joined the Jacksonville practice squad.
NFL teams can have up to 16 players on their practice squad. They also have an extra spot for a player from the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, which helps players from other countries get a chance.
Practice squad players work just as hard as the 53-man roster players but earn less and need to be promoted to the active roster to play in games.
For Rees-Zammit, this is an opportunity to keep practicing with the team while waiting for a chance to play if an injury opens up a spot. It also gives him a chance to catch up.
At 23, he has been one of the top wingers in rugby for years and is now working towards his dream of playing American football in the NFL.
“I’d say it’s pretty challenging,” he said. “The first game of American football I ever played was a month ago. It’s very challenging. I can feel that, but at the same time, this is my dream. I’m very determined to make this dream a reality and try and break into this team.
“That’s everyone’s goal: to try to get into the 53, and I’ll continue to learn the playbook. I think that’s probably the most important thing right now since changing teams and changing playbooks. I need to try to learn it as quick as possible to have a chance.”
