‘Great athlete’ Louis Rees-Zammit ‘a starter right now’ as Welsh star impresses Kansas City Chiefs

Louis Rees-Zammit continues to make an impression with the Kansas City Chiefs after assistant head coach Dave Toub praised the talents of the Welshman.

The 23-year-old exited rugby union in January, joining the NFL’s international pathway program and spending 10 weeks on an intensive training course.

After that was completed, Rees-Zammit was free to sign for teams in the league and, after meeting with various franchises, he settled on the reigning Super Bowl champions.

The Welsh star has been listed as a running back and is also being seen as someone who could be useful on special teams.

New rules

Given the new kick-off rules in the NFL, the Chiefs believe that someone with Rees-Zammit’s talents and rugby background could prove useful this season.

Even the ex-Gloucester wing’s kicking is standing out, according to special teams coordinator Toub, with Rees-Zammit showing off his full array of skills.

“Louis has done above and beyond what I expected. He could kick field goals, he could be a kick-off guy for us. He’s every bit as good as [safety] Justin [Reid] in moving the football on kick-offs,” the coach told reporters at a press conference.

“He’s really working hard at the return job. I’ve got him in there as a starter right now so he gets as many reps as he can. He’s a student of the game, he comes in after practice, he wants to be great and he’s a great athlete.”

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The only note of caution Toub provided was unsurprisingly over Rees-Zammit’s lack of experience in American football.

“He’s just got such a long way to go mentally-wise. These guys have been playing since fourth grade and he hasn’t played football until now,” he said.

“There’s a long way to go with that part of it, but he’s on the accelerator programme. He’s doing well.”

Fitting into the system

Toub also possibly explained why the 23-year-old could fit into the Chiefs’ special teams system.

Rees-Zammit may eventually be used as a wide receiver if all goes well but, given the technical expertise needed in that role, he is currently developing in the slightly simpler running back position.

The Welsh star is incredibly quick but he is also tall and strong, athletic talents which have stood out in training.

“They’re (the returner) going to be more like a running back-type guy because the other returner – the guy that doesn’t field the ball – has got to be a good blocker,” Toub added.

“They have to not only be a good returner and be able to take a hit, but they’ve got to be a really good blocker.”

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