JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Louis Rees-Zammit always envisioned himself as an NFL receiver.
The Welsh rugby star changed teams last week, moving from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and now has changed positions, too. He spent five months working as a running back with the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.
But he’s embracing his new role, the one he believes is a better fit.
“I think I’m much better off playing receiver with my size and strength,” Rees-Zammit said following practice 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.”
Kansas City waived Rees-Zammit in final cuts last week, letting him go after he ran six times for 22 yards and caught one pass for 3 yards in the preseason. He quickly landed on Jacksonville’s practice squad.
NFL teams can have up to 16 players on their practice squad. They get an extra spot for a player from the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, which was designed to give players from other countries a chance. Practice squad players work the same amount as guys on the 53-man roster, but they don’t get paid as much and would need to be promoted to the active roster to play in a game.
It’s an opportunity to keep practicing with the team while essentially waiting for an injury to open up a roster spot. For Rees-Zammit, it gives him a chance to catch up. After all, the 23-year-old has been one of the best wingers in rugby for years and is now trying to pursue 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.”
By signing with Jacksonville, Rees-Zammit is expected to 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.
He’s never played in either venue, but he vividly remembers attending his first NFL game at Wembley in 2016. He watched Washington and Cincinnati play to a 27-27 tie.
“That was the first opportunity I could go to a game," he said. "My dad took me and my brother to go watch. I was quite young then; I think I was like 14 or 13. I’ve loved it ever since watching my first game on TV, never mind in real life.”
His father’s “first love of sport” was American football, and the then-Washington Redskins were their team. But making the leap across the Atlantic and into the NFL might not be something that everyone back home understands.
“Not many people realize what I’m actually doing back home, like friends and stuff,” he said. “They’re on with their jobs and I’m on with mine. It’s interesting. I think my family is the most proud of me.
“They came out to Kansas City and now they’re coming out to Jacksonville to live. That just goes to show how tight my family is, and I’m trying to make them proud as much as I can.”
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