Buffalo Bill's latest call is relatively good news for Christian Wade's NFL future

The dream is still alive for Christian Wade in the NFL as he is set to included in at least another season with the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills released a list of 13 reserve and futures contracts handed out to players from their wider training roster and it includes the former Wasps star. This means that Wade is can not be signed by another NFL franchise for the time being.

It suggests that at the very least, the Buffalo Bills are eager to keep him around for the following season. An NFL reserve/future contract is offered to players who did not finish the regular season on their side's active roster, whether they are on a practice squad or free agents. Such deals go into effect on the first day of the new league year, which in 2021 is March 17 (St Patrick's Day).

Wade was signed in 2019 to the International Player Pathway (IPP), which means the former rugby union winger can count as a 91st man on a squad's 90-man offseason and training camp.

His next task will be then to make the 53-man active roster, something he has yet to do in two seasons. If he fails again, he will be put into the waiver system, which means other teams can have pick him for their active rosters.

If he isn't claimed by another team, Wade will then return to Buffalo Bills practice squad. As the Englishman is an IPP, he can be given an exemption so that he doesn't count to towards the team's limit for their practice squad.

Now 29, time is not on Wade's side, however. Running back in the NFL is largely considered a young man's position; studies into age trends in the sport suggest that the average 'rushing yards' of an NFL running back go into significant decline after the age of 27.

Wade, it should be pointed out, doesn't have any rushing yards to go into decline as he is yet to feature in a regular-season NFL game.

Wade did enjoy an explosive start to his career, scoring a touchdown with his first touch in a pre-season game in 2019.