LOUIS REES-ZAMMIT, the former Welsh rugby star, has suffered a setback in his bid to secure a place on the Kansas City Chiefs’ 53-man roster. Rees-Zammit missed a recent training session due to a back injury, casting doubt over his participation in this weekend’s pre-season match against the Detroit Lions.
This development marks the first significant obstacle in his quest to make the Chiefs’ final roster, where every minute of play is crucial to proving his worth. With just one more pre-season game remaining, a match against the Chicago Bears on Friday, the pressure is mounting as the squad announcement looms ahead of the NFL season opener against the Baltimore Ravens on 6th September.
Chiefs’ special teams coordinator, Dave Toub, disclosed the news during a media briefing, where he addressed the need for improvement in the team’s kick returns following mistakes in their opening pre-season game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Rees-Zammit was expected to play a key role in this area.
“We just need to get more reps out there and ensure that the rules are clear; obviously, we made a mistake in the game,” Toub commented. “It ended up costing us, but it’s a great learning experience for us.”
Toub added, “It will be the same guys you saw before. I still want to see other guys. I want to see Rees (Louis Rees-Zammit), but he didn’t practice today. He might not be available. We’ll see, but I still want to see… there’s a lot of guys I want to see. We’ve got time to do that.”
Rees-Zammit was spotted on the sidelines during training, stretching his upper body with coaches, but notably absent were his pads and helmet. It was later confirmed that he is nursing a back injury.
The Welshman made a solid debut against the Jaguars, fulfilling various roles within the team and earning praise from some pundits. Despite being lower in the Chiefs’ squad hierarchy, his versatile skill set and the possibility of being picked up by another team if he doesn’t make the active roster give him a fighting chance of achieving his NFL dream.
