Louis Rees-Zammit says he must ‘improve’ after home debut for Kansas City Chiefs in pre-season - ‘Cut-throat business'
Published 19/08/2024 at 13:57 GMT+1
Former Wales and Lions rugby international Louis Rees-Zammit made his home debut at Arrowhead Stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs at the weekend as he works to make the final 53-man roster ahead of the new regular season. The 23-year-old featured on the offense, kicking and returning team in the Superbowl champions' 24-23 defeat to the Detroit Lions.
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Video credit: SNTV
Louis Rees-Zammit fought through a lower back injury to make his home debut for the Kansas City Chiefs as the reigning Superbowl champions step up their preparation for the new season.
The former Welsh rugby international featured at both wide receiver and on special teams as the Chiefs lost 23-24 to the Detroit Lions.
The Chiefs are likely to use Rees-Zammit in a range of different roles once the season begins next month, with the former Gloucester player taking a kick-off while also featuring on both kick and punt return teams.
The 23-year-old returned a Lions kick-off for 27 yards as new NFL kickoff rules are introduced for the new season, with no running starts allowed for either the kicking or returning team's blockers with the aim of preventing injuries.
"I got to experience the atmosphere a little bit today. I'm excited for another game here next week and then we'll see what happens," Rees-Zammit shared after the game.
"I'm trying my hardest. I'm working hard in training every day to show what I can do.
"The more reps I get, the better I'll get so I'm excited to see what's going to happen next week and obviously in the future."
The game was the Welshman's second appearance for the Chiefs in pre-season after his debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars last weekend.
The former Lions international will face a fight to make the 53-man Chiefs' roster ahead of their opening game against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in three weeks' time.
NFL rules allow teams to carry 90 players on their roster through the four-game pre-season, before cutting to 53 when the regular season begins.
Teams are allowed a practice squad of 10 players - a group who are allowed to train with the team and step into match day squads to replace injured players.
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Rees-Zammit will find out whether he has successfully made the Chiefs' roster on August 28, the date in which final regular season squads must be submitted.
"I'm not going to be the best player in the world overnight, so I've got to be patient," he added.
"We've got one more pre-season game so I am going to try and show out there. I've got to perform and I've got to do well because, you know, this is a cut-throat business.
"I'm just going to continue to work really hard every day and then see what the future holds."
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