The Philadelphia Eagles signed Canadian rugby star Adam Zaruba to a three-year contract Monday to play tight end.
The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Zaruba played football at the high school level before making the transition to rugby, where he became a member of the Canadian national team.
“It will be a really awesome thing for me as an athlete,” Zaruba said of making it to the NFL, via The Province. “The window here is very small.”
Zaruba, 26, began training for the NFL after his season came to an end in May, while his PR man assembled a highlight reel. The Eagles reached out a couple of weeks ago and a tryout was arranged, according to the Province.
Eagles coach Doug Pederson offered little when the subject of Zaruba was brought up following Monday's practice.
"We continue to bring guys in, work them out and see where they're at. And that's about all right now," he said.
The Eagles currently have five other tight ends on the roster besides Zaruba: Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, Trey Burton, Billy Brown and Anthony Denham. Zaruba enters a crowded picture and likely faces an uphill climb, but he will have a chance to fight it out this summer.
