Andy Reid, the coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, has an initial strategy with Louis Rees-Zammit, who was just signed. In order to “get him to feel comfortable with that,” the former professional rugby player will begin the season as a running back for the time being. Reid stated this week, “We’ll just see where it goes from there. He’ll get used to some of these (offensive) calls — through our Zooms — and the plays.”
Rees-Zammit, 23, who is listed as 6 feet 3 and 194 pounds on the Chiefs roster, declared earlier this year that he would be giving up rugby in order to play in the NFL. Rees-Zammit, a Welshman by birth, developed an early interest in football after learning that his father, Joe, was an American football player for a team in Europe. Through the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) program, Rees-Zammit trained in Florida for two months earlier this year alongside other prospective players. He ran a 40-yard sprint in 4.44 seconds on a pro day.
American football and rugby are both contact games that frequently entail running and hurling the ball, as Reid quickly pointed out.
Reid observed, “It’s not an easy transition, but he seems wired, having played professional competitive rugby since he was 17 years old.” He is thus seated at 23. With that, he’s had a respectable career and is aware of the professional game and mindset required to perform at that level. Rees-Zammit’s hopes of making the roster as a possible special team player may be enhanced by the NFL’s new kickoff rule, which will return touchbacks to the 30-yard line and increase the importance of kickoff returns in the game. Reid responded, “Potentially,” when asked if Rees-Zammit may have a role as a returner for special teams coach Dave Toub.
Reid stated, “We’re just going to see how it goes here.” “You are aware of how Dave exposes them all.” Before and throughout practice, they’re all out there working on their returns. We’ll simply wait and see how he feels about it. Recently, Rees-Zammit went to Texas to train with quarterback Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs and a few other players from the team. Nick Bolton, a linebacker with the Chiefs, expressed interest in seeing how quickly Rees-Zammit picks up the new sport.
He has a somewhat different learning curve and must adapt on the fly to understand the rules. Many of us have been participating in this game under these rules for more than 15 years, according to Bolton. “So, I believe that will undoubtedly be something new for him, but we’re all excited about it too,” NFL rules may provide Rees-Zammit more opportunities with the Chiefs. Teams may have an extra practice squad place and training camp roster exemption if they have IPP players on their roster.
“We’re open arms to anyone who can help us win,” Bolton declared.
