Former rugby player Alex Gray has expressed his delight after signing a reserve future contract with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons as a tight end.

The former England Sevens player, who turned out at centre for Newcastle, London Irish and Yorkshire Carnegie, has signed a deal which guarantees him a place on Atlanta’s 90-man roster once the new league year formally begins in March.

The 26-year-old, who was the 2015 Rugby Players’ Association Sevens Player of the Year, must then fight to make the final 53-man roster for next season.

Gray wrote on Twitter: “!!Contract Signed!! Not many will know what it took to get to this point. Thank you to everyone who believed in me from day 1. This is just the start, but I can’t wait to give it everything I’ve got 👊”

Gray, who has come through the NFL’s International Player Pathway program since he decided to walk away from rugby last year, was part of Atlanta’s practice squad for the 2017 season but was not eligible to be called up to the active roster.

The Falcons’ season came to an end with a 15-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Divisional Round on Saturday.