The former Wales rugby winger is desperate to make it in American football and is fighting for his future this summer
Louis Rees-Zammit has suffered a blow ahead of the new NFL season. The Welshman is currently with the Jacksonville Jaguars and is trying to get on either the 53-man roster or 17-man practice squad ahead of the 2025/2026 campaign.
However, Rees-Zammit has sustained a lower back injury less than two weeks before the first pre-season game against Pittsburgh Steelers on August 9. The former Wales rugby international’s American football career is on the line this summer, with Rees-Zammit himself admitting that time is running out to prove himself at the highest level, having already been cut by the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Penarth-born wide receiver only started official pre-season training last week, following an off-season spent in the United Kingdom with family and friends.
His future in the sport has now been plunged into jeopardy with a back issue possibly ruling him out of crucial pre-season matches. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
Reporter Mia O’Brien posted on X, writing that the former Gloucester Rugby star “missed the last several practices and will remain out” alongside team-mate Johnny Mundt.
KCKingdom, a Chiefs news outlet, wrote about the news, speculating: “If he can’t return soon enough to show the Jags coaching staff what he can do, he’ll be released ahead of the season.”
Of course, Rees-Zammit played at Chiefs before moving to Jaguars.
Rees-Zammit was part of the Jaguars’ 17-man practice squad last season, but was not elevated to the main roster to play. Practice squad players can be elevated up to three times during a season but the former rugby star was not called upon.
Despite this, his maiden campaign in American football was more of a learning curve than an opportunity to stake a claim for a place in the starting teams.
Now that he has a season of football under his belt, Rees-Zammit will be hoping he can break his way into the 53-player roster or at least be elevated to play as a member of the practice squad, as the designated International Player Pathway (IPP) player.
If he does not get any reps in pre-season, it is unlikely head coach Liam Cohen will be inclined to select him over the other, more experienced players in the squad.
Speaking to talkSPORT in June, Rees-Zammit admitted that IPP players have around two years to crack the sport before it’s too late.
In his case, it would likely be a return to rugby if things don’t work out, similar to former England international Christian Wade, who spent a couple of years with the Buffalo Bills before returning to rugby union.
“International players get probably two to three years to make it in the NFL,” he said.
“So I wanted to do it at a time where I maybe could come back to rugby.
“I’m 24 now, probably got one to two more years to try and make it depending on how this year goes. I’ll be 25, 26 when I go back to rugby. I like to think I can still play at the highest level.”
Even if Rees-Zammit misses the first pre-season match, there will be a further two opportunities to show his skill and value to Coen and the selection committee before the regular season begins in September.
The Jags will face New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins in August, with the 53-man roster and 17-man practice squad being named at the end of that month.
