The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs reportedly are making an addition to their roster from outdoors the soccer world.
The reigning Tremendous Bowl champions have agreed to a take care of European rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit, in keeping with a number of studies. Rees-Zammit will ink his take care of Kansas Metropolis on Friday, per Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz.
The Chiefs reportedly plan to deploy Rees-Zammit at working again and/or receiver. With the NFL’s new kickoff guidelines, it would not be stunning if Kansas Metropolis experiments with Rees-Zammit at returner as effectively.
The 23-year-old Welshman was one of many high wingers in rugby earlier than saying in January he was quitting the game to pursue a profession within the NFL. He joined the NFL’s Worldwide Participant Pathway, which is a program that gives elite athletes from world wide an opportunity to make an NFL roster and goals to extend the variety of worldwide gamers within the league.
Final week, Rees-Zammit participated in this system’s professional day, the place he ran a 4.43 within the 40-yard sprint whereas posting a 9-foot-7 broad leap and 29-inch vertical leap. For context, his 40 time would have ranked fifth amongst working backs at this 12 months’s NFL mix and tied for thirteenth amongst receivers.
“A bit disenchanted in my 40,” Rees-Zammit stated following his professional day. “Final week, I used to be getting some actually good occasions. I used to be getting low 4.3s, excessive 4.2s. So it’s what it’s. It’s simply what occurs on the day. However I do know I can run that quick. I’m not attempting to make excuses or something, however I do know what I can do and I’m pleased with the day and the way the day went.”
Rees-Zammit, whose favourite NFL participant rising up was three-time Professional Bowl large receiver DeSean Jackson, stated he watched lots of footage of San Francisco 49ers stars Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel as he envisions himself as a flexible offensive weapon.
“I wish to be a participant that may play a number of positions and I totally imagine I can, so with the ability to play out of the backfield, with the ability to line up as a receiver, within the slot, large out,” he stated.
Together with the Chiefs, Rees-Zammit reportedly additionally visited with the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos and New York Jets.
Rees-Zammit was one in all 15 athletes from eight nations taking part within the Worldwide Participant Pathway program. The prospects spend 10 weeks coaching at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, getting a crash course in practising the basics of soccer and studying the intricacies of a sport most have by no means performed.
For the reason that program’s inception in 2017, a complete of 37 worldwide gamers have signed with NFL groups, with 5 making it onto lively rosters. Eagles star left deal with Jordan Mailata, a former rugby performed drafted within the seventh spherical by Philadelphia in 2017, is this system’s most notable alum.
Beginning within the 2024 season, NFL groups may have a further seventeenth observe squad spot out there for a global participant. A global observe squad participant will be elevated to the lively roster a most of thrice all through the season.
The Related Press contributed to this story.
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