KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs will soon be signing a rugby player, according to a report from NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

Louis Rees-Zammit, a 23-year-old pro rugby player from Wales who announced earlier this year he’d be quitting that sport to pursue an NFL career, will be signing with the Chiefs on Friday, Schultz reported Wednesday night.

According to Schultz, Rees-Zammit will be playing running back/receiver.

Rees-Zammit, listed at 6-foot-3 and 194 pounds while playing rugby, explained in a CNN article last week why he chose to attempt an NFL career.

“I fancy a new challenge and what a better challenge than to be in the NFL,” Rees-Zammit told CNN. “I’ve been training really hard for seven or eight weeks now and I think I’m in a good position. I feel smooth, I feel comfortable and I’m ready to show everyone what I can do.”

Rees-Zammit has been training in Florida for the last two months with other NFL hopefuls through the league’s International Player Pathway program (IPP). During a Pro Day last week, Rees-Zammit ran a 4.44-second 40-yard dash.

The report intrigued some NFL analysts Wednesday night. That included ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, who described Rees-Zammit on X (formerly Twitter) as an “upper-echelon rugby player” who would provide “a really exciting possibility here if he can pick up pro football.”

Rees-Zammit told CNN he was drawn to pro football because of his father. During the CNN interview, he compared his style to that of the San Francisco 49ers’ Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey; he also said receiver DeSean Jackson was his favorite player growing up.

He still could be a longshot to make an impact with the Chiefs. There are few IPP success stories, though the NFL provides some benefits to teams that keep those players. Two examples: NFL teams with IPP players are allowed an additional practice squad spot and also a training camp roster exemption.

Former Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, in an article for NFL.com, highlighted Rees-Zammit as one of three IPP players to watch this season, calling him “very sharp, focused and passionate.”

“On the field, he possesses rare acceleration — evident in his rugby film and in workouts — and is working hard on developing skills that are new to him,” Pioli said, “including route running and pad level as a ball-carrier, among other things.”

Rees-Zammit’s roster hopes could be helped by the NFL’s new kickoff rule, which should force teams to emphasize kickoff returners more. With the rulebook change, touchbacks will return to the 30-yard line, meaning returns should become a more prominent part of the game.

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