The NFL’s international player pathway program places players from outside the United States with NFL teams each year as a way to both promote the game in other countries and help those players develop the skills necessary to make a push for an NFL career.
Players assigned to teams through the program don’t count against the 90-man roster and the league rotates through divisions each year when it comes to finding spots for the participants. It’s the AFC East this year and the Bills announced on Monday that they have been assigned Christian Wade.
Wade is a rugby player who has represented the United Kingdom at the U16, U18 and U20 levels. He’s expected to work as a running back after showing a knack for carrying the ball on the other side of the pond and he’s been working out in Florida with former NFL running back Earnest Byner and other coaches.
The teams carrying players from the international program can use an 11th spot on the practice squad to keep the players on hand into the regular season.