Former rugby player Joshua Weru has joined the Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football League (NFL) after going unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Weru, who previously played for the national rugby 15s team, the Kenya Simbas, is now set to begin a new career in American football in the United States.
He was not drafted during the 2026 NFL Draft on Saturday, where teams picked a limited number of college players over several rounds.
Reports indicate the Philadelphia Eagles selected eight players during that draft. Weru was not among them and instead became available as an undrafted player.
After the draft, Weru is understood to have been picked up by the Eagles as an international signing under the NFL’s International Player Pathway programme. The programme is designed to bring athletes from outside the United States into American football and give them time to develop while training with professional teams.
“In addition to drafting Uar Bernard, the Eagles are also signing DL Joshua Weru from the International Player Pathway program,” Dave Zangrano, a Philadelphia-based journalist, said on X.
Weru’s move highlights the growing link between rugby and American football, with several players attracting interest from NFL scouts because of their experience in tackling, physical contact and open-field running.
However, American football is a different sport, with distinct rules, structured plays and position-specific techniques that take time to master.
Because of this, reports from the United States suggest Weru is likely to be developed in a defensive role, possibly as an edge player, a position that focuses on pressuring the quarterback and disrupting attacking plays from the outside of the line.
At this stage, Weru is viewed as a developmental prospect rather than a ready-made starter, with expectations that he will spend time adjusting to the pace and technical demands of the NFL.