Eagles sign Canadian rugby player Zaruba as tight end

Though former rugby star Jarryd Hayne didn't work out as a running back for the San Francisco 49ers, perhaps it was his position that was the problem.

The Philadelphia Eagles joined the ranks of teams attempting to take an athlete from another sport and build them into a football player, signing Canadian national rugby team member Adam Zaruba to a three-year contract as a tight end on Monday.

Zaruba, 26, played football in high school and redshirted for one year at Simon Fraser University before attending a try out with the Eagles in June.

"It will be a really awesome thing for me as an athlete," Zaruba told Patrick Johnston of The Province before his tryout in June. "The window here is very small."

His 6-foot-5, 265-pound frame should work well at tight end, but with Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, and Trey Burton on the roster, he may have a hard time making the team, let alone getting on the field.