Kansas City Chiefs' most interesting player misses penultimate training camp practice with injury
Fresh off his first-ever game of organized football, Welsh rugby star turned NFL player, Louis Rees-Zammit, is sitting out of the Kansas City Chiefs' penultimate practice at training camp. Rees-Zammit was a full participant in practice on Tuesday and didn't leave early according to beat reporters in attendance. He came down the hill to practice at […]
Fresh off his first-ever game of organized football, Welsh rugby star turned NFL player, Louis Rees-Zammit, is sitting out of the Kansas City Chiefs' penultimate practice at training camp.
Rees-Zammit was a full participant in practice on Tuesday and didn't leave early according to beat reporters in attendance. He came down the hill to practice at Missouri Western State University in St Joseph, Missouri without pads or a helmet, which is typically a strong indicator that a player will sit out practice for the day.
KSHB-TV's Nick Jacobs caught a video of his walk down to practice.
Rees-Zammit worked with members of the training staff, stretching out his upper body on the sidelines as practice got underway on Wednesday. Our friends at KC Sports Network caught that on video.
Louis Rees-Zammit misses practice due to injury
For now, it does seem at least a little bit suspect. Just last evening, Rees-Zammit took to X (formerly Twitter) to share an update about his first-ever game in preseason Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"Time to learn from every moment and get better," he wrote.
After practice, the Chiefs' PR staff confirmed that Rees-Zammit missed practice with a back injury. He was one of seven players missing from practice, while Chiefs starting RT Jawaan Taylor was carted off with a shoulder injury suffered during practice. I'm told his back tightened up on him ahead of practice this morning. Chiefs ST coordinator Dave Toub told reporters after practice that he was unsure if Rees-Zammit would be available for preseason Week 2 against the Detroit Lions.
Is this part of the Chiefs' greater plan for Rees-Zammit?
There's little denying that Rees-Zammit is a work in progress. He's a talented athlete who is playing football, but he has a long way to go to be considered a football player. His first preseason game had some good (special teams coverage, kickoffs) and some bad (running back, receiving out of the backfield).
This is clearly a long-term project for the Chiefs, and perhaps one way to get Rees-Zammit a little closer to the end goal is a redshirt year. That's not to say whatever injury he is dealing with is manufactured, but if it leads to the team stashing him on injured reserve, that might be for the better for his long-term development.
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