WFT’s Reyes could be 1st Chilean to play in NFL

Sammis Reyes grew up poor as the son of a physical education teacher and insurance adjuster in Chile dreaming of what he could do in life, writes Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press.

When the opportunity presented itself as a teenager to play basketball in the United States, his family sent him $50 a month to get by. Reyes did not know a word of English and learned as much as he could from watching “The Matrix.”

Now he’s on the verge of making some history. Washington put tight end Logan Thomas on injured reserve Wednesday with a hamstring injury, an absence of at least three games that could open the door for Reyes to become the first Chilean player to appear in an NFL game.

“Where I’m from, the cost of a helmet is what parents pay for six months of school,” Reyes, 25, said. “I’m not naive to the fact that I’m the first one to do it. I’m only thankful for the opportunity to showcase that we can do it, that people from Chile can also do big things and we can leave our country and seek better opportunities elsewhere.”

Reyes’ familiarity with offensive coordinator Scott Turner’s system and his meteoric rise from not knowing football to an NFL roster makes him the favorite to replace Thomas in uniform.

“Sammis looks like he’s going to get an opportunity,” coach Ron Rivera said Monday. “He’ll have to start getting himself geared up and ready to roll.”

Reyes sees his life as a series of failures leading to this point. His parents played basketball, and playing for the Chilean national team opened the door to the U.S. with the availability of a scholarship.

Reyes played Division I college hoops at Tulane. When that didn’t pan out, he drove for DoorDash early in the pandemic while listening to podcasts to understand everything he could about football.

“As I was driving, I would sit there and I would listen and try to understand what a 4-3 defense meant,” Reyes said.

The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Reyes kept getting recommendations to play football, so he entered the NFL International Pathway Player Program. After just 10 weeks and the chance to show his skills, he got a three-year contract from Washington.