The Seahawks brought in four players for a tryout, and the most intriguing name in the group wasn’t a familiar NFL journeyman. It was Ben Te Kura, an Australian rugby player who has never played organized football before.
Te Kura has been with the Brisbane Broncos since the 2024 season and stands 6-foot-9, making him the tallest player in National Rugby League history. He played five games for Brisbane before turning his attention to the NFL, with the Broncos first giving him leave to chase the new path. Three weeks ago, that move became official when Brisbane released him from the rest of his contract.
“The Brisbane Broncos have released forward Ben Te Kura from the remainder of his current contract, effective immediately, to allow him to pursue an NFL opportunity in the United States in 2027.
The 205cm front rower was initially granted leave from the Club’s NRL squad commitments in April, to attend a six-week NFL training camp.
He will now relocate to Arizona to continue his pursuit of a professional career in the sport.”
Te Kura’s rugby background includes work with the Souths Logan Magpies, and the footage shows exactly what you’d expect from a man his size: a massive frame moving with surprising force. In rugby, he played prop, and he is listed as a tackle in the transaction wire, which points to a plan to add more bulk to his 268-pound playing weight.
There’s a clear Aussie-to-NFL template here. Te Kura could be following the same road Jordan Mailata took, going from prop in rugby to becoming one of the NFL’s premier offensive tackles with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Seattle already has some familiarity with cross-sport talent. Running back George Holani played rugby in high school before switching to football at Boise State, and punter Michael Dickson is also Australian, though his background came through Aussie rules football rather than rugby.
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