‘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.

After quitting rugby union in January, the 23-year-old enrolled in the NFL’s international gateway program and underwent a rigorous 10-week training regimen.

Following that, Rees-Zammit was free to join with any team in the league. He met with a number of teams before deciding to sign with the Super Bowl victors.

The Welsh talent is considered as a potential special teams player in addition to being categorized as a running back.

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 is putting a lot of effort into the return job. He’s now in there as a starter for me to give him as many reps as possible. He practices after practice because he wants to be the best, studies the game, and is an excellent athlete.

Toub’s lone word of caution was, predictably, regarding Rees-Zammit’s inexperience playing American football.

“Mentally, he just has a very long way to go. He hasn’t played football till now, and these boys have been playing since fourth grade,” he remarked.

He is enrolled in the Accelerator Program, but there is still more work to be done in that area. He’s doing fairly well.

Fitting into the system

Toub may have also provided an explanation for the 23-year-old’s compatibility with the Chiefs’ special teams scheme.

Rees-Zammit is now growing at the slightly simpler position of running back, but if all goes well, he could eventually be deployed as a wide receiver due to the technical knowledge required in that job.

The Welsh athlete has shown remarkable athletic ability in training, not only in terms of speed but also in terms of height and strength.

The other returner, who does not field the ball, must be a strong blocker, so “they’re (the returner) going to be more like a running back-type guy,” Toub continued.

“They need to be a really good player, not just a good returner who can take a hit.”