Patriots receive IPP roster exemption, sign Australian rugby player Jotham Russell
Updated International Player Pathway program rules allow the Patriots to sign Russell without forfeiting one of their 90-man roster spots.
Following the conclusion of rookie minicamp over the weekend, the Patriots signed four undrafted free agents. One of New England’s latest signings, former Australian rugby player Jotham Russell, joined the 90-man roster through the International Player Pathway program (IPP).
The IPP, which was instituted in 2017, provides elite athletes from around the world the opportunity to land a spot on an NFL team. Since its inception, 37 players have signed with a team, with five making at least one regular season game appearance.
For most of the IPP athletes, joining the NFL is a dream come true. But the teams themselves also have a lot to gain. A 2024 rule change – which provides a roster exemption to teams who sign IPP players – has created an added incentive. Despite having 91 men on their roster, Russell won’t count toward New England’s limit.
Instead, the 20-year-old defensive end will have the chance to earn a permanent spot on the Patriots’ practice squad. Russell could see regular season minutes, too. For the first time ever, teams are permitted to elevate their IPP practice squad players to their active rosters a maximum of three times throughout the season.
While the Patriots shored up their defensive line over the offseason by re-signing Anfernee Jennings and Joshua Uche, they still lack long-term depth. And as Matthew Judon approaches his ninth season in the league, it’s not a bad idea for Eliot Wolf & co. to look towards developing the edge.
Russell, one of just 16 international athletes vying for a start in the NFL, looks like he was plucked straight out of the “Edge Rushers ‘R’ Us” catalog. Standing at 6-foot-4, 239 pounds, the ex-rugby player resembles Von Miller or Fred Warner – two of the countless players Russell has studied.
“[Miller] just does it right. The way he gets off, he just has every trick in his arsenal. Looking towards someone for a build closer to me we started looking at Micah Parsons, who’s a big fella so they were being a bit generous,” Russell told ESPN Australia’s Laurence Horesh.
The defensive edge convert, who hails from Australia’s capital, Canberra, picked up rugby at the age of 10. Russell joined the Brisbane Broncos Elite Development program as a teenager, soon transitioning to play for the Currumbin Eagles and Tweed Seagulls Colts U21 team. Also a former gymnast, Russell plans on drawing on skills from his multi-sport back to help him secure a permanent spot on an NFL roster.
“It’s all I hear; bendy, hips, hip mobility, the ankles, everything like that. Even with the way I run, I’m always trying to get around people, so the bending was nothing too new. The way I played rugby league, it was always trying to get low, leverage myself,” he said, per Horesh.
Historically speaking, the Patriots have reaped positive returns from the IPP. In 2019, they signed German fullback Jakob Johnson, who became the first IPP player to be activated from the practice squad and play in an NFL game. After appearing in just four games, Johnson made the team’s 53-man roster ahead of the 2020 season, becoming the second international player to do so (behind Washington’s Efe Obada).
By Week 2, Johnson scored his first touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks, tallying another first for the IPP. The fullback played every game of the 2020 and 2021 seasons before signing with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022.
While Russell’s spot in New England is far from certain, new IPP rules make it easier for an organization to spend time – beyond the offseason – developing elite international athletes. Russell will have until the start of the regular season to secure a spot on the Patriots’ roster or face free agency.
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