Japanese top football player Noriaki Kinoshita was selected as one of the 16 players on the NFL's International Practice Squad (IPS), the NFL Japan announced on Friday.
The 25-year-old wide receiver/kick returner, who signed with the Atlanta Falcons for their preseason training camp but didn't make the final cut last year, was picked up by the same club this time, becoming the first Japanese player to be chosen for an IPS squad.
Yet Kinoshita, one of the nine Japanese players who participated in the IPS training camps this spring, has yet to determine if he'll take this opportunity or sign with another team as a free agent.
The IPS is part of the NFL's international programs and was introduced in 2004. IPS squad players can practice for the entire season with their NFL team but are unable to play in games during the season.