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Michael DiRocco, ESPN Staff Writer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Louis Rees-Zammit has a new position to go along with a new city.
The former rugby star is now a wide receiver with the Jacksonville Jaguars after spending training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs as a running back. It’s not an easy switch for even experienced NFL players, but Rees-Zammit is embracing it as he continues his dream of making it in professional football.
“I think I’m much better off playing receiver with my size and strength,” Rees-Zammit said after Wednesday’s practice. “I think that’s probably a position that suits me a lot more. I think it was a good experiment to try running back out at the Chiefs, but I think we all realized that I’d probably be a receiver eventually, and here we are today.
“I’m loving training at receiver. I’m loving learning the role and I’m going to continue to improve.”
Rees-Zammit, who played for Wales and toured with the British & Irish Lions, signed with the Chiefs in late March as part of the International Player Pathway program, which was established in 2017 as a way to give athletes all over the world a chance to make an NFL team.
The Chiefs used Rees-Zammit, who had participated in a pro day at the University of South Florida in Tampa and ran a 4.43 40-yard dash, as a running back and he played in all three of their preseason games, carrying the ball six times for 22 yards. He did play some snaps at receiver and also played on special teams on both punt and kick returns. He tried out as a kicker, as well.
The Chiefs waived Rees-Zammit on Aug. 27 in the final roster cuts, and he signed with the Jaguars a day later. Jacksonville was one of the teams that had expressed interest in signing him back in March. He said he has no hard feelings toward the Chiefs.
“I think this probably gives me the best opportunity to really learn and continue to learn, continue to improve,” he said. “… So I think this was probably the perfect team for me to come to.
“… It was what it was [in Kansas City]. I tried as hard as I can to improve every day. I think it was more down to me playing running back and the strength of running back that they had with that team. Was I expecting it? I don’t know. But you’ve got to deal with these things. Setbacks are going to come in everyone’s careers; it’s just how you bounce back.”
Rees-Zammit, 23, is a member of the practice squad, which means he can practice during the week but would not be eligible to play in a game unless he is elevated to the active roster. He is one of four receivers on the practice squad.
He knows he has a lot of work to do before he could have a chance at making the active roster.
“The first game of American football I ever played was a month ago, so it’s very challenging, but at the same time this is my dream,” he said. “So I’m very determined to make this dream a reality and try and break into this team. That’s everyone’s goal, to get into the 53, and I’m going to continue to learn the playbook. I think that’s probably the most important thing right now since changing teams and changing complete playbooks. I need to try and learn as quick as possible to have a chance.”
Even if he doesn’t make the active roster this season, he will be back in the U.K. in October because the Jaguars will bring the practice squad players with them for their back-to-back games in London against the Chicago Bears (Oct. 13 at Wembley Stadium) and New England Patriots (Oct. 20 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium).
The first NFL game Rees-Zammit attended was at Wembley Stadium when the Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals tied 27-27 on Oct. 30, 2016. His father was a Redskins fan and introduced him to American football as a child, which sparked his dream of one day playing in the NFL.
“I’ve loved it ever since watching my first game on TV, never mind in real life,” he said. “… Now I’m being able to train it and play it.”