The Great Unknown: What Will Louis Rees-Zammit Show in His NFL Debut?

The Kansas City Chiefs took a chance on a speedy former rugby player, but there are still more questions than answers about Louis Rees-Zammit at this point.

Jul 22, 2024; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Louis Rees-Zammit (9) runs the ball during training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

There has never been an NFL player quite like Louis Rees-Zammit. There’s a mysterious and intriguing aura that surrounds this international player, who has never played an official down of football in his life. The Kansas City Chiefs took a chance on the speedy former rugby player, but there are still lots of questions about Rees-Zammit's NFL future at this point. On Saturday night, he can begin to answer them.

Heading into training camp, the buzz began to build surrounding Rees-Zammit. He had become known as a workout warrior on social media after working with Bobby Stroupe, best-known as Patrick Mahomes's personal trainer. Rees-Zammit is a chiseled specimen with speed and youth on his side, but how will that translate to the football field?

In training camp, Rees-Zammit has been working with the running backs as well as getting reps on special teams. It will be an uphill battle to get significant snaps at running back in the regular season, but he should get some decent playing time at the position during the preseason, and that is something everyone should keep an eye on as the team looks to solidify depth and final roster spots. Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, the top two running backs on the depth chart, will likely see limited snaps during the preseason, so this will be a chance for Rees-Zammit to compete with Deneric Prince and Keaontay Ingram for the third- and fourth-string running back roles. He’s shown some impressive skill throughout camp, including making a couple of great catches out of the backfield that left fans wanting to see more. 

Prince will likely take the lead role with Ingram and Rees-Zammit getting into the game after that, but each of the snaps the rookie gets will be critical throughout the preseason and he will need to make them count. The Chiefs have been known to keep four running backs on the roster in the past, but the roster will be crunched with the team trying to become the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowls.

With everything on the line, each person who makes it on the roster needs to make a positive contribution and have some type of specific role on the team. This is where Rees-Zammit's special teams contributions could give him a slight edge if he’s one of the final players to make the roster. He could be utilized specifically on returns and coverage with the new kickoff rule coming into play this season. His rugby background will come into play with the way he can use his speed and angles to create an advantage, again both on the return side and coverage side. 

No one is expecting Rees-Zammit to be a Pro Bowler in his rookie year. It would even be a great achievement to make it past the final cut on a Super Bowl roster like the Chiefs have heading into this season. Keeping expectations tempered and seeing how he can grow throughout the preseason as he gets some real-game action is probably best for all involved. If Rees-Zammit plays well and makes the team, it will be an exciting development in what should be another fun season for Chiefs Kingdom.

Highlights: Watch Rugby Star Louis Rees-Zammit's First Impression at Running Back for Chiefs