General manager of the Cleveland Browns, Andrew Berry, is still looking everywhere for talent to add to the roster for the 2024 Browns. The most recent player to come to Berea has never played football before.
Louis Rees-Zammit, a 23-year-old, was a highly regarded rugby player for Gloucester Rugby, serving as both a full-back and wing from 2018 to 2024. Rees-Zammit declared in January that he intended to give up rugby in order to fulfill his dream of becoming an NFL player.
Professional football players can benefit from rugby talents; Rees-Zammit, for example, can reputedly run a 4.2 40 yet recorded a 4.44 on International Pro Day. Rees-Zammit is anticipated to visit with the New York Jets in addition to the Browns.
Where on earth could Rees-Zammit be used?
What position the Browns would assign him to is the next obvious question. He is used to being tackled without protection because he is a runner and ball handler. That, according to some, qualifies him for special teams participation.
Although their skills are similar, he would not be familiar with catching high punts and kickoffs.
Is he going to be a running back? It is definitely a possibility. All the little things he would need to learn would be how to handle a different kind of ball and wear pads. The running back room behind Nick Chubb, who should be fully recovered and ready to play most of the 2024 NFL season, is still being strengthened by the Browns. Running backs Jerome Ford, Nyheim Hines, and D’Onta Freeman are also now listed.
Rees-Zammit would not be the first former rugby player in team history to be added to the Browns roster, it is important to remember that. Before starting his football career as a senior in high school, Jamie Gillan, a.k.a. the “Scottish Hammer” and former punter for the Browns, played rugby.