Louis Rees-Zammit’s versatility makes him an intriguing weapon for the Chiefs to deploy, though Kansas City may need to utilize his bag of tricks sooner than expected.
After Monday’s news that safety and projected kickoff man Justin Reid’s injury could last into the start of the regular season, Dave Toub and the Chiefs’ coaching staff have a unique problem to solve.
Toub has previously mentioned Rees-Zammit competing to handle kickoffs. If Reid can’t go in Week 1, could Rees-Zammit replace Harrison Butker on kickoffs against the Baltimore Ravens?
“To make my NFL dream come true I’ve got to play, I’ve got to be a step ahead”
Louis Rees-Zammit talked to the media during Chiefs camp (via @Chiefs) pic.twitter.com/fLngyISaGS
— NFL UK & Ireland (@NFLUKIRE) July 22, 2024
The former rugby star knows he faces an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster, so he wants to fill as many roles as possible to add value. He’s already in line to potentially contribute as a returner, though the team may need him on the other side as well.
These new kickoff rules force the kicker to be a tackling threat, making it a much more dangerous proposition than previously. Toub has been clear that he does not want to risk injury for Harrison Butker given his phenomenal value on field goals, noting he’d prefer to only use Butker if the Chiefs wanted a touchback.
Assuming Toub still wants to keep Butker upright, he now must decide if there’s another player who could kickoff or if Rees-Zammit is the next man up. The last thing the organization wants to see is an early injury to Butker, so the coaches suddenly have a concerning situation to theoretically prepare for.
Perhaps Reid will quickly recover and this discussion will all be for naught, or perhaps Rees-Zammit will become one of the more important Chiefs much faster than expected. We’ll see how Toub deploys the kickoff team at training camp with Reid on the sidelines, but the Welsh rookie now finds himself with a big opportunity.
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Publish date : 2024-07-23 09:57:43
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