05 May 2024 , 16:41
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Louis Rees-Zammit participated in the Kansas City Chiefs rookie minicamp on Saturday, practicing with the Super Bowl champions for the first time.
Rees-Zammit, 23, signed a three-year contract with the Chiefs in late March after impressing as part of the International Player Pathway program. As such, the player did not hear his name called at the Six Nations but was recognized on stage during day three of the event alongside other IPPP participants.
The former The Rugby Pod rugby star switched sports on the eve of the Six Nations and is preparing for his first preseason as an NFL player. Kansas City had Rees-Zammit working with the running backs during the session, plus with first-round pick Xavier Worthy and the wide receivers.
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During the practice, he took a handoff from undrafted quarterback Spencer Sanders before driving towards the goalposts. Rees-Zammit also fielded a punt during the session, with Worthy watching as he accelerated away down the practice field.
The team has plans to utilize him as a kick returner, as the player detailed last month. "So the plan we've got is obviously the new kick-off rules this year is absolutely massive," Rees-Zammit told The Rugby Pod.
"That's where my main position is going to be, so I've got to fight to be a starter in that position this year. And then within the offense, it's about how quickly I can learn the play because we've got a plan to put me in various positions.
Louis Rees-Zammit driving after fielding a punt (X/@SportsRadio810)"Play out the backfield at running back, be a slot receiver, and just being able to use me as much as possible and be creative with me. So it's all about me learning the playbook and getting the chemistry with all the players on offense to be able to use me, so it's kind of up to me to learn all the plays and being able to integrate myself into a starting role.
"But I know it's going to take a bit of time for me to do that. And all the coaches know that."
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has also outlined the challenges his new teammate will face after reaching out earlier this year. "It's going to be a humbling experience at first," he said on the New Heights podcast last month.
Louis Rees-Zammit fielding a punt during the Kansas City Chiefs rookie minicamp (X/@SportsRadio810)"It's not easy to just make that jump; they're two completely different games. He is an athlete, and that's what the Chiefs saw.
"He's a smart kid, a smart player. So he's gonna be able to pick up the offense eventually. But it's gonna be a tough few months for him here while he's getting acclimated to the NFL.
"We've been doing this since we were kids, so we're gonna have those little instincts that we've built over the years that he's got to catch up with." Kelce continued: "Absorb as much as you can, learn as much as you can in the short time you have before the season."