Trying Out For The NFL: The British Rugby Player Vying To Make The Roster Of An American Football Team

Changings sports for professional athletes is not easy, just look at Michael Jordan’s baseball career. Some sports are pretty similar though, and one set of skills should be transferable to the other. British rugby star Christian Wade left his sport to pursue his dream of making it in the NFL. He even signed with a team, but did he make it into their final roster?

The Buffalo Bills

Christian Wade signed an agreement with the Buffalo Bills to become part of their practice squad during the preseason. Christian Wade is the right build for the sport and has enough experience taking tackles in rugby to not fear getting hit in the NFL. Things couldn’t have started any better for Christian Wade with the Bills. On his preseason debut, Wade scored a touchdown with his first carry in the sport. At just 28 years old Christian Wade is in peak condition but knows it will take time to adapt.

A Guarantee

When he signed with the Bills, Christian Wade knew that he would be retained to their practice squad no matter what. That lifted some of the pressure on him to perform because he knew that if he didn’t make the full-time squad, he could still stay in football. The agreement means Wade can continue to learn the game thanks to being exempt from the roster. But did he impress enough to make the 53-man regular-season roster?

Christian Wade did not make the regular-season roster, but he now has a year to impress the coaches at the Bills. The former rugby star is a member of the Bills practice squad which means he could be called up during the season and is free to be signed by another franchise. It looks as though only time will tell how far Wade’s career could really go in the new sport.