Louis Rees-Zammit now knows what it means to play with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce after preseason debut

The former rugby took his first NFL snaps

Even though the Kansas City Chiefs dropped their preseason opener on Saturday night, the 26-13 defeat gave the team’s ravenous fans a chance to see one of their new stars in action for the first time.

Louis Rees-Zammit, the former rugby star, saw plenty of action against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field, giving fans a chance to see everything he could offer the Chiefs as Kansas City pursues a third consecutive Super Bowl victory this coming season.

Rees-Zammit’s long-awaited debut
Head coach Andy Reid seems willing to deploy Rees-Zammit in a number of ways to keep opposing defenses guessing. The former Wales wing fulfilled several different roles on Saturday as the coaching staff gets a grasp on his strengths — and weaknesses — in an in-game context.

Rees-Zammit took nine official snaps on Saturday. He was handed reps as a running back (two carries), a receiver (one catch), a kick returner, and even as a kicker, as the Chiefs seem set to hand the 23-year-old a vital special teams role.

“It was a great first experience,” Rees-Zammit said after the game. “I loved it, I loved getting the snaps I did, on special teams as well, which was great.”

Reid will also love Rees-Zammit’s commitment to improving by running back the film prior to next weekend’s preseason matchup with the Detroit Lions.

“I’ve just got to look back on this, review it and see how I can get better,” Rees-Zammit said.