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Former Welsh rugby sensation Louis Rees-Zammit has reportedly been left out of the Kansas City Chiefs’ 53-man roster for the upcoming 2024 NFL season, which will be announced tomorrow.
The 23-year-old from Penarth is instead expected to join the Chiefs’ training squad, giving him more time to hone his skills following his move to American football earlier this year.
In Thursday’s 34-21 preseason loss to the Chicago Bears, Rees-Zammit made his third start in what is the sum total of his organized football experience, displaying versatility at multiple positions.
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The former Gloucester player turned NFL prospect recorded four carries for 21 yards and added a 36-yard kick return; however, he missed a tackle on a punt return and failed to secure a catch the only time a pass came his way.
Despite occasional glimpses of his potential, the consensus among commentators suggests that Rees-Zammit’s performances have yet to deliver the level of consistent production required to earn a spot on a team chasing a hat-trick of Super Bowl titles.
After the clash against the Bears, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was asked about Rees-Zammit and commented: “Yeah, we tried to give him the ball a bit tonight, and he got some real positive yards.”
Reid continued: “It’ll be good for him to see himself and study himself in there, in real action like that. He’s a hell of an athlete. It’s just a matter of getting comfortable with it as he goes along here. We’ll see how it all goes for him.”
Rees-Zammit, with 14 tries in 32 games for Wales, announced in January that he was leaving rugby to join the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) programme in Florida before signing a three-year contract with the Chiefs in March.
But to truly break into the NFL, Rees-Zammit must overcome the above challenges.
“He’s a heck of an athlete,” Reid added. “It’s just a matter of getting familiar with him as he goes along. We’ll see how it all goes for him.”
Former England and Wasps winger Christian Wade took the IPP route in 2019 to the Buffalo Bills, scoring an unforgettable 65-yard touchdown in pre-season but not playing a regular season game before returning to rugby in 2022.
Christian Scotland-Williamson left Worcester in 2017 with a view to joining the Pittsburgh Steelers, but did not play and joined rugby with Harlequins in 2021.
Lawrence Okoye, a former discus thrower and 2012 London Olympics participant, went undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft, bouncing from team to team in 2017 without setting foot on an NFL field before returning to track and field.
The Chiefs have until 9pm BST on Tuesday to confirm their final squad cuts.
