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The NFL loophole that could help Rees-Zammit bag a Chiefs roster spot
By Ian Cameron
Louis Rees-Zammit’s bid for a spot on the Kansas City Chiefs roster could be influenced by his status as a normal NFL player rather than an International Player Pathway (IPP) player.
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Although he came through the IPP pathway, LRZ was signed by the Chiefs as a free agent and has been signed outside the NFLs IPP exemptions.
As such the 23-year-old faces different rules regarding practice squad eligibility.
Under the IPP, players are allocated to teams and given a 17th roster spot on the practice squad, which is reserved exclusively for international players. These players are not available for signing by other teams while they are on the practice squad.
Rees-Zammit’s technical status as a non-IPP player means if he is placed on the Chiefs practice squad, he remains eligible to be potentially signed by other NFL teams.
The new rules for the 2024 International Player Pathway Program provide additional flexibility for teams and opportunities for international players. Each of the 32 NFL clubs can fill a 17th roster spot on its practice squad reserved for an international player. This allows clubs to elevate their international practice squad player to the active roster up to three times during the season. This rule aims to increase the flexibility for teams to utilize the additional player and create more playing opportunities for international player who badly need playing time and experience.
In addition to the practice squad spot, each club will receive one training camp roster exemption for a qualifying player. Clubs can either sign players identified through the NFL’s IPP program or scout for international talent independently.
For Rees-Zammit, being signed as a free agent rather than an IPP player means he must navigate the traditional NFL practice squad rules. While this provides him with the opportunity to be signed by any team, it also means he lacks the specific protections and guaranteed practice squad spot given to IPP players.
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The upshot for Rees-Zammit? It’s possible that the Chiefs may wish to place him on their active 53-man active to prevent other franchises from getting their hands on him.
Chiefs’ pundit Cole DeRuse explained the context that Louis Rees-Zammit finds himself in on the Chief Concerns podcast: “I understand that they [Chiefs management] didn’t put the International Pathway Player exemption on him, so if he does not make the roster he would have to clear waivers and he can get scooped up by somebody else. You could make the case that the Chiefs may put him on the 53 to kind of protect him. They’ve done that before.
“I really think he’d benefit from a year in the Chiefs’ system, going through the reps and soaking up football knowledge. I don’t know that he makes the roster at this point in time.”
Speaking on the same podcast, former Chiefs tight-end Jason Dunn doesn’t think it’s likely that another NFL team will come looking for Rees-Zammit should he be placed in the practice squad.
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“If you put him on the practice squad I don’t believe that a team will scoop him up, just because he’s so much of a project. There’s only way you would do it is if you’re trying to bring a bit more light to your team, the hype, the money…
“We’ve had rugby guys play before, the dude from Buffalo [Christian Wade], he was on the roster last year at least. He ended up getting cut.”
The next few weeks will be crucial for the Welshman, who is likely to get competitive game time against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a pre-season game this Sunday. While he has impressed at times in training camp, most notably in offensive plays, his first taste of actual competitive football could be the key to securing an unlikely roster spot.
Indeed both Christian Wade and Jarryd Hayne before him both made big splashes in their respective pre-seasons. Wade scored with his first touch of a football while Hayne finished his pre-season with one of the highest yardages of any player in the league.
