How Louis Rees-Zammit performed on NFL debut as Kansas City Chiefs fans say same thing

The Chiefs' first touch of the new NFL campaign belonged to Louis Rees-Zammit , who fielded the opening kickoff in Kansas City's preseason opener against Jacksonville on Saturday evening.

Rees-Zammit became just the fifth player to transition from England's Premiership Rugby to the NFL, with the Welsh international making five notable plays in limited action during Kansas City's 26-13 defeat.

"It was a great first experience," Zammit told The Irish NFL Show after Saturday's game. "I loved it, I loved getting the snaps I did, on special teams as well which was great. I've just got to look back on this, review it and see how I can get better."

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The rookie's first career snap of competitive American football left him on a surprisingly level playing field with his NFL peers, who are collectively adjusting to the league's new kickoff rules — players now line up five yards apart at the receiving team's 35-and 40-yard lines, respectively, unable to move until the ball is received. Rees-Zammit backpedaled about five yards into his endzone to field the kick, considering an ill-advised return before settling on a sensible kneel.

The Welshman made his first appearance from scrimmage with eight minutes remaining in the third quarter, gaining just a yard on the handoff from quarterback Chris Oladokun. Rees-Zammit's struggles from training camp were persistent against the Jacksonville front.

He was criticized for timid and stiff running while displaying a relative lack of speed that saw many fans online question his future at running back. One fan wrote: "This Rees-Zammit guy is not worth the hype. Dude has no breakaway speed and can’t break a tackle", while another added: "Rees Zammit might be the least elusive back I’ve ever seen".

Another fan wrote: "Rees-Zammit looks stiff with the ball in his hands" and a further supporter asked: "is he just overthinking everything he’s doing or is he that slow?".

Transferring his versatility from rugby, Rees-Zammit proved more productive in his subsequent touches away from the backfield. He recorded a three-yard reception in the fourth quarter where he made a defender miss and received plaudits for his work on the Chiefs' punt coverage team, tackling return man Austin Trammell after a six-yard gain.

Rees-Zammit even manned kickoff duties after Kansas City's third-quarter field goal, firing his boot down to the Jacksonville nine-yard line. The 23-year-old rookie arrives in Kansas City after molding himself into one of world rugby's premier young talents.

Rees-Zammit notched an impressive 38 tries in 69 appearances for Gloucester, also appearing for the Welsh national team, and began to attract NFL attention after clocking a blistering 4.49-second time in the 40-yard dash. His current Swiss army knife role fits in line with early statements from Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, who also noted Rees-Zammit's childhood familiarity with the NFL.

"He was introduced to this when he was young when his dad played for six years in the European league,” Reid explained about Rees-Zammit. “He’s somewhat familiar with the sport and has had success in rugby. And there are some similarities there as a contact sport, and he’s had the ball and does those things and runs with the ball. We’ll start him off at the running back position and get him to feel comfortable with that."