Louis Rees-Zammit likely to move to Jacksonville Jaguars and could feature in London games

Louis Rees-Zammit’s journey in the NFL is likely to take a surprise turn, as reports in the United States suggest the former Wales wing is poised to sign a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

‌Rees-Zammit, now a free agent, was expected to join the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad after missing out on a spot on the Chiefs 53-man roster ahead of the new NFL season. Being in the practice squad would have allowed him to continue to learn the sport while being called up to the main roster at any time.

‌However, reports now indicate that the player is finalising a deal with Jacksonville, that would take the 23-year-old to Florida and to a Jaguars franchise with a strong presence in the UK – they play games annually at Wembley Stadium.

‌Rees-Zammit could play twice in London this year, given the Jaguars face the Chicago Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium a week before hosting the New England Patriots at Wembley.

Reports suggest that Rees-Zammit will be placed on the Jaguars practice squad, where he could take one of the newly created international exemption spots for practice squad players.

The Jaguars do not have an international player on their main roster after Patrick Murtagh, their Australian tight end, broke his ankle earlier this month. They named 14 players to their practice squad on Tuesday, leaving two spaces plus one more for an international player.

‌The Chiefs used Rees-Zammit on kick-offs and as a kick returner and running back during pre-season. His best performance came in his final pre-season game against the Bears with four carries for 21 yards. He also faced the Jaguars earlier in pre-season.

The Chiefs opted to keep offensive tackle Chukwuebuka Godrick as the international player on their practice squad, meaning there was no space for Rees-Zammit in that spot and leaving him free to sign with other teams. Godrick was on the Chiefs’ practice squad last year.

Jacksonville won nine games last season and missed out on the play-offs.

Has LRZ made the NFL roster?

Rees-Zammit has not made a final 53-man roster ahead of the new NFL season, after he was released by the Chiefs and signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad.

How has he already switched teams?

All 32 NFL franchises were required to reduce their rosters down to 53 players by Tuesday evening, from as high as 90 players. That process means hundreds of players are cut on the same day. When this happens, they become available to the other franchises on ‘waivers’ - a list of available players on fixed contracts before they become free agents.

Using the NFL draft order from the previous season, with worst at the top and best at the bottom, teams can then claim to sign those players who have been released. So the Carolina Panthers, who finished with the worst record last season, had the first pick.

If a player then clears waivers, they can be signed back to their original team’s practice squad, or by a new team to either their 53-man roster or their practice squad, on new terms. Because the Chiefs released Rees-Zammit and he cleared waivers, the expectation was that he would be signed back to the Chiefs’ practice squad. Instead, the Jaguars moved to bring him to Jacksonville.

What is the practice squad?

The reserve ‘practice’ squad contains 16 players, plus an extra spot for an international player which could now go to Rees-Zammit. Players can be called up to the 53-man roster at any time and play in NFL games.

This cannot be stressed enough; Rees-Zammit ending up on the practice squad is no failure. To go from NFL novice to making a final 53-man roster for the season in the space of seven months would have been utterly extraordinary, given that thousands of college players fall short of reaching the NFL level every year despite playing the sport their entire lives.

A year for Rees-Zammit spent on the practice squad has always felt like the best outcome, continuing his NFL education by learning every day alongside his team-mates, who now include quarterback Trevor Lawrence and head coach Doug Pederson, who won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles back in 2018.

What does he need to work on after playing in pre-season?

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid recently described Rees-Zammit as a “heck of an athlete” while adding that his next task was “getting more familiar” with the sport. One observation among Chiefs supporters on social media was that Rees-Zammit looked slow, which obviously isn’t true based on anyone who has seen him play rugby, but to be a successful running back you need vision to find the blocks in front of you and hit the resulting gaps at the right time. With his initial carries in pre-season, Rees-Zammit appeared slower because he was searching for space which disappears in the blink of an eye. A run for a first down in the final Chiefs pre-season game against the Bears suggested progress, hence Reid saying “he had some real positive yards”, rushing for 21 yards on four carries. There is so much to learn, including how to run with a subtly different ball, and seven months is just not enough time to do it.

How does this development compare with Christian Wade?

Former England wing Wade was continually kept on the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad for two seasons before returning to rugby with Racing 92. Wade flashed in his first pre-season game, showing explosive speed and famously scoring a 65-yard touchdown with his first touch against the Indianapolis Colts, but was never called up to the main roster.

The differences between Rees-Zammit and Wade come down to age and versatility. Wade was 27 when he quit Wasps, whereas Rees-Zammit is 23, while the Chiefs during training camp tried Rees-Zammit in a number of positions - kick returner, kickoffs, running back - to find ways to get him involved.

Is this a good thing for his development?

Yes. Just as rookie quarterbacks now often sit for a year to be a sponge and absorb what it takes to succeed in the league, Rees-Zammit can now graft away in the background on everything from his running style to how to block in pass protection while watching the Jaguars up close for an entire season.

If at this same point in two years Rees-Zammit is still not part of an NFL main roster, then his time in the league can be properly assessed. He would be able to return to rugby in his mid-20s and carry on from where he left off with Gloucester and Wales, or wherever he might go. Right now, it is just far too early to call. A year on the practice squad, unless he pulled off one of the more extraordinary transitions between sports ever seen, always felt like the best option for him.