Christian Wade will not return to rugby, despite stalled NFL career

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Christian Wade has no plans to return to rugby union, despite not featuring in a competitive NFL fixture since swapping sports. The former winger left Wasps in October 2018 to pursue an American football career, signing with the Buffalo Bills via the International Player Pathway programme. The 29-year-old made an instant impact in his first pre-season match, breaking away to score a 65-yard touchdown with his very first touch. However, due to Covid-19, the NFL’s pre-season fixtures for the current campaign were cancelled. This means that Wade has not taken the field since August 2019. Despite this, Wade, who won a single England cap, is adamant his future lies in the NFL. “I’m 100 per cent locked in. I made the decision to leave rugby and retire. This is what I am doing until I can’t do it any more,” said Wade. “I feel as if I am ready to go out on the field and play, and do a job. The game is so complex so you’re always going to be learning and getting better, but in terms of a foundation to go out on the field, I feel like I’m at that stage now. “I believe in doing my job and showing them that I’m ready. Then there will be a point where they want to use you, or they won’t.” Wade’s prospects of making the 53-man roster in his second season were harmed by a lack of non-competitive fixtures. After all, Wade has still only featured in four American football games in his life. “Games are what is most important,” said Wade. “You can practise as much as you want but you really need games to help with your development.” Wade, who plays as a running back, is at the smaller end of the scale for players in his position, although there are a number of successful smaller players including Tarik Cohen and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Exactly two years after his first training session for his new sport, Wade has added just shy of 15 pounds of muscle mass to help him adapt to the short, sharp bursts required in American Football. “I don’t have to use my tank anymore. I’m more of an out-and-out sports car now — short journeys only, and we have pit stops every four seconds,” Wade said. Buffalo have been one of the best teams in the NFL this year, and host the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday. Wade, who turns 30 in May, is likely to have the opportunity to make the final roster again next season which begins in September. Pre-season games are vital to his prospects, although it is expected that the NFL will reduce the number of non-competitive fixtures from four down to two or three, assuming that the pre-season will not be cancelled altogether due to coronavirus. It is likely, therefore, that the next campaign, his third in the NFL, will be make-or-break. Watch Buffalo Bills take on Indianapolis Colts live this Saturday 6pm on Sky Sports NFL and NFL GamePass or catch the highlights on The NFL Show on BBC One and NFL Endzone on Channel 5

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