Alex Gray became the first English rugby union professional to leave the sport to attempt to make a NFL team after signing a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons.
Four teams will carry an additional overseas player on their practice squads during the 2017 season as part of a new International Player Pathway program, the NFL announced Thursday.
Gray, 26, is listed at 6-foot-4 and 231 pounds.
“I have been working hard for this goal, and to be told it was going to happen was an amazing moment,” Gray said in a statement. “This is the start of another journey. It is a fantastic thing that is happening, but I am not going to get to where I want to be without keeping myself grounded.
“Making the decision to give this my all from rugby, there was a big transition period and it was mentally very humbling. When you have to start from scratch again, that was a huge mental battle for me. When I look back I will be very proud of the way I approached this.”
The Falcons currently have six tight ends on the roster: Austin Hooper, Levine Toilolo, Joshua Perkins, D.J. Tialavea, Eric Saubert and Darion Griswold.
The Falcons and teams in the NFC South were given an exemption for an 11th practice-squad member, who will be ineligible to be activated during the season.
The players include Gray, recent college players Alex Jenkins (New Orleans Saints), Eric Nzeocha (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and defensive end Efe Obada (Carolina Panthers), who originally signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2015.
For the past three months, the players have been training alongside NFL players and draft hopefuls in Florida, under the supervision of two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora, a former Falcon for two seasons, and NFLUK head of football development, Aden Durde.
“This is going to change people’s lives,” Umenyiora said in a statement. “They have a great opportunity. They are going to be seen not only by their new teams but by everyone who might imagine they can be NFL players.
“They will inspire people around the globe; people who never thought they had a chance to make it to the NFL. Now they see they have a viable pathway. These guys have worked very hard for this chance and I am confident they will make a great contribution to their teams while improving their skills and understanding of the game.”
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