It may not have worked out for Louis Rees-Zammit at the Kansas City Chiefs, but it appears the Welshman has made a lasting impression among his former team-mates and coaching staff after all.
Having joined the Chiefs after excelling on the NFL’s International Player Pathway programme earlier this year, the 23-year-old was then released from the reigning Super Bowl champions as the roster was cut to 53 players in August. He was then thrown a lifeline by the Jacksonville Jaguars and was placed on their practice squad as a wide receiver.
But while he failed to make the cut with the Chiefs, there has been a sign that, during his time in Missouri, Rees-Zammit rubbed off on some his team-mates, which included NFL superstars Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes. As two of the sport’s top players, the former Wales wing learned lots from the pair, but fans are now suggesting he inspired Kelce too.
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During the second quarter of the Chiefs’ clash with the New Orleans Saints earlier this week, the tight end pulled off a move that looked to be straight out of a rugby match as he took a pass from Mahomes before throwing a lateral pass to team-mate Samaje Perine, who nearly picked up the first down.
While the game commentators initially did not believe that Kelce’s sideways pass was planned, Chiefs coach Andy Reid later confirmed that it was a designed play. While, of course, such a move has been done many times before, experts report that NFL teams, including the Chiefs, appear to be increasingly taking a leaf out of the rugby playbook.
Sharing a clip of the moment online, one fan wrote: “This is literally a rugby play. It’s perfect.” Another added: “This is the future of the NFL,” while a third wrote: “Kelce [is a] confirmed rugby guy.”
One fan suggested: “A LRZ-inspired play maybe?” while another considered what would happen with Kelce and the Welshman sharing the field together, as they wrote: “Imagine if Rees-Zammit was still in the team!”
With Kelce’s popstar girlfriend Taylor Swift watching on on Tuesday, the Chiefs triumphed 26-13 over the Saints.
The subject of ‘the lateral’ came up in Kelce’s first conversation with Rees-Zammit, with the pair exchanging text messages after the Welshman signed a three-year deal at the Arrowhead Stadium in March.
Revealing what those messages said during an episode of his New Heights podcast, he said: “The biggest advice I gave him was just try not to let it overwhelm you as much as it can, and know that everybody believes that you have the potential to be able to play. So absorb as much as you can, learn as much as you can in the short time you have before the season.
“[But] I’m pumped too and he said he’s ready for the lateral whenever.”
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