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Tom Hamilton, Senior Writer
Louis Rees-Zammit is set to continue chasing his dream of making the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars, a source has confirmed to ESPN.
The former rugby star was waived by the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday, the day NFL teams had to trim their rosters to 53 players. A source confirmed to ESPN that Rees-Zammit is in line to join the Jaguars’ practice squad — a 17-member unit that can work out during the week with NFL teams but is ineligible to play in actual games unless the player is elevated to the regular roster.
Rees-Zammit, 22, was signed as a running back by the Chiefs on a three-year deal after successfully coming through the International Player Pathway program (IPP). He was a star in rugby union, playing for Wales and touring with the British & Irish Lions. But it was always his dream to play in the NFL.
For the Chiefs, he played in all three of their preseason games, where he featured as a running back and wide receiver and on special teams (on the punt and kick return teams). He carried the ball six times in the preseason for 22 yards. He also had one reception.
He even tried out as a kicker, but he didn’t make the final cut for the season with the Chiefs.
He’s now set to head to Jacksonville, one of several franchises that showed interest in Rees-Zammit after his impressive showing in the IPP pro day in March.
Each NFL team can have one player who was signed through the IPP program on its practice squad; otherwise, the squad is limited to 16 players. Kansas City already had Nigerian offensive tackle Chukwuebuka Godrick on its roster.