The Chiefs made a bold offseason move this week after Kansas City signed Welsh rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit. The 23-year-old spent the early part of this season learning about and training for the NFL, and now he’ll join the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.
Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz reported that Kansas City views Rees-Zammit as a running back/wide receiver who can also support special teams as a kick returner. That aligns with his body type, skillset and pre-NFL experience. The Chiefs also have one of the best offensive minds in the game with head coach Andy Reid along with the best quarterback in the league with Patrick Mahomes.
All options are on the table at this point for Kansas City, but here are three likely roles Rees-Zammit could play on the Chiefs in 2024.
Kickoff return specialist
The NFL will test a new kickoff rule in 2024, one that isn’t too dissimilar to rugby. Both sides line up about 10 yards apart from one another, while at least one return man waits for the kickoff behind them in a “landing zone” between the goal line and the 20-yard line. The XFL used this in 2020 and 2023, but there will be a learning curve in the NFL.
Rees-Zammit has the experience in a similar setup and the speed to exploit it. He ran a 4.43 40-yard dash time at the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) pro day and was clocked at running more than 24 mph during the Rugby World Cup in 2023. That’s faster than the fastest NFL play since 2020,
Chiefs fans, you got a good one.pic.twitter.com/hghlpqyS4D
— Tight Five Rugby (@TightFive_Rugby) March 27, 2024
Other former rugby players who made the move to the NFL also started on special teams. Christian Wade returned a preseason punt for a 65-yard touchdown for the Bills in 2019 and Jarryd Hayne returned eight punts during the 2015 regular season for the 49ers.
Rees-Zammit’s favorite player was former NFL wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who returned 140 punts and five kickoffs during his 16-year career.
Backup running back
The Chiefs’ running back situation is a little uncertain. Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon are both free agents, which leaves behind a backfield with no true depth after Isiah Pacheco.
The only other running backs on Kansas City’s roster are La’Mical Perine, Deneric Prince, Keaontay Ingram and Hassan Hall. That’s not an inspiring group for one of the most injury-prone positions in football on the best team in the league. Rees-Zammit might not immediately jump the line to the No. 2 slot, but there is a lot of room for movement on this depth chart if the Chiefs don’t make any other moves at running back.
Rees-Zammit’s speed and experience lends itself to the running back position. However, his size is a bit concerning. Rees-Zammit would be one of the tallest running backs in the NFL at 6-foot-3, but a weight of around 200 pounds would make him one of the lightest in the league as well. He also recognized that there is a learning curve to running in a football game versus a rugby match.
“My body is obviously not used to running full pace and then trying to stop immediately,” Rees-Zammit said in the NFL’s Pathway Series. “I can definitely feel that in my legs, and day-by-day I’m slowly getting used to it and my body will adapt. That’ll get smoother and smoother.”
Deebo Samuel or Tyreek Hill-esque role
Every team in the NFL is looking for the next player who can stymie defenses. The 49ers have Deebo Samuel, the Chiefs had Tyreek Hill before trading him to the Dolphins and other teams have other variations of gadget players. Rees-Zammit could be that for Kansas City because of his rare blend of speed and experience.
This is not to say that Rees-Zammit will become the next Samuel or Hill, but his elusiveness could be on their level when he sees true NFL action. His rugby highlights prove that.
Kansas City lacked some of that creativity this past season and the two seasons since the Chiefs moved on from Hill. Patrick Mahomes is a force multiplier who can always elevate an offense, but Andy Reid will eventually need to add another level to his team.
The Chiefs already added a wide receiver who can take the top off the defenses in Marquise Brown. Rees-Zammit is a different type of speed, though, that changes how defenses would gameplan for an unknown asset on the other side of the ball.
What the Saints do with Taysom Hill is another possible avenue for the Chiefs. While Hill is slightly bigger than Rees-Zammit, his ability to line up all over the offense and even take quarterback snaps under center make him a difficult matchup for defenses.
