By Gareth James
He’s used to wearing No 14 or No 15 for Wales but Louis Rees-Zammit donned the No 9 shirt for the Kansas City Chiefs as he made his NFL debut in a pre-season game against the Jacksonville Jaguares at EverBank Stadium.
The 23-year-old Rees-Zammit signed a three-year deal with the Chiefs, the two-time defending Super Bowl champions, in March after making a headline-grabbing code-switch away from rugby union.
He joined superstars Patrick Mahomes, Trevor Lawreance, Carson Wentz and Mac Jones were among the big name players who joined the Chiefs squad in the first pre-season outing.
Wearing a helmet and pads he played a bit of running back, kick returner, kicker and as part of the special teams unit on punt returns. It was a fairly quiet debut with one rushing yard from two carries, three receiving yards from one catch, and a tackle as well.
He was also called upon to take a kick-off for the Chiefs during the third-quarter of a game that was won by the Jaguares 26-13.
“It was a great first experience. I loved it, I loved getting the snaps that I did, on special teams as well which was great,” Rees-Zammit told The Irish NFL Show.
Former rugby player Louis Rees-Zammit in his first NFL preseason game for the Kansas City Chiefs:
1st NFL run ✔️
1st NFL special teams tackle ✔️
1st NFL reception ✔️
1st NFL kickoff (as the kicker) ✔️Here are all of his plays from yesterday’s game against Jacksonville pic.twitter.com/dQK6iGWFTb
— René Bugner (@RNBWCV) August 11, 2024
“I’ve just got to look back on this, review it and see how I can get better. I got a little kick-off – that was great.
“Being able to play special teams is amazing, to exploit different skills. I’m happy and I’m going to see how I can get better and take that on to the next game.”
Having spent all summer learning the skills required to make the grade in a completely new sport Rees-Zammit is hoping to clinch a place on the Chiefs’ final 53 man roster for the upcoming regular season.
“The atmosphere was great. It’s pretty electric in this stadium and there were a load of Chiefs fans which helped massively – great game and looking forward to the next one,” he added.
The Chiefs, who begin the regular season against the Baltimore Ravens on September 5 and will be aiming to become the first franchise to win the Super Bowl three consecutive years, continue their preseason at home to the Detroit Lions on Saturday.
Great to get a look at Louis Rees-Zammit last night.
Needs to be a little sharper in his cuts and use that stiff arm more.
Getting into open field will show his speed, but a decent showing for his first game as a Chief. Not great, but im sure he’ll work on it. https://t.co/rv7wQiv4Tl
— Brad Symcox (@BritChiefUK) August 11, 2024
Elsewhere, former Gaelic football goalkeeper Charlie Smyth marked his debut for the New Orleans Saints by kicking a dramatic winning field goal to secure a 16-14 preseason success at the Arizona Cardinals.
The rookie 22-year-old Irishman, who, like Rees-Zammit, joined the NFL’s International Player Pathway Programme earlier this year, converted from 37 yards with just five seconds remaining.
“I thought it was awesome,” Saints head coach Dennis Allen told a press conference. “First kick in an American football game and for him to knock it through like that in a pressure situation was cool to see.”
