Louis Rees-Zammit ignored his injury concerns from earlier in the week and made his home debut for the Kansas City Chiefs in a pre-season friendly at the weekend.
The 23-year-old’s participation was somewhat questionable after he missed training during the week due to back problems, but he was able to gain more playing time in the friendly match.
Unfortunately, the two-time Super Bowl winners lost 24-23 to the Lions in their penultimate preseason game at Arrowhead Stadium.
More minutes
Crucially for Rees-Zammit, he got more minutes on the field and played multiple roles in the narrow loss, taking and returning a kickoff, covering 25 yards.
The former Welsh international is keen to secure a spot on the Chiefs’ final 53-man roster before the NFL season starts in early September.
The Chiefs, who boast stars like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce on their team, were the team to beat after winning consecutive titles in recent seasons.
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It would be a considerable achievement for the former Gloucester winger to be included in the final squad, but Rees-Zammit is keeping his head down and enjoying his first game on home soil.
“I experienced a bit of the atmosphere today. I’m looking forward to another game here next week and then we’ll see what happens,” he said KSNT News afterward.
“I do my best. I train hard every day to show what I can do.
“The more reps I do, the better I get. So I’m excited to see what happens next week and of course in the future.”
The Chiefs’ title defense begins on September 6 against the Baltimore Ravens, but before that there is one final preseason game against the Chicago Bears this Friday.
Rees-Zammit will be determined to make an impression in this final slugfest before he learns his fate, with a potential debut season in the NFL looming tantalisingly close for the British & Irish Lion.
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