KC Chiefs experiment with rugby-flavored wrinkle on offense, special teams

The Kansas City Chiefs have already gone to work on the offense this offseason in the hopes of returning to the fireworks of years past after winning a Super Bowl with a rather depleted or disappointing wide receiver corps. On Wednesday, they added a dynamic new wrinkle that could pay interesting dividends.

The Chiefs watched rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit try out for the team earlier this week and decided to offer him his first professional football contract shortly thereafter. The Chiefs added Rees-Zammit after other teams like the Denver Broncos also expressed an interest in taking a closer look.

Louis Rees-Zammit signed with the Chiefs after trying out for the team earlier this week.

Rees-Zammit announced this winter that he was going to press the pause button on his career in rugby in order to pursue a career in the NFL. He joined the league's International Player Pathways program which is intended to help foreign athletes make their way into the sport.

Rees-Zammit admitted he was frustrated by a large-scale tryout he had at the University of South Florida. Thirty-one NFL teams (minus the Los Angeles Rams) sent scouts to view the results and the former Gloucester star came away with a time of 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

Teams were likely expecting Rees-Zammit to run a bit faster than that for a player who was clocked at over 24 miles per hour on the pitch last season. That speed won't translate entirely to the NFL given the difference in equipment, but at the core, Rees-Zammit's athletic profile makes him a potentially interesting wrinkle.

For now, Rees-Zammit will be listed as an RB/WR—think Jerrion Ealy as a developmental offensive weapon. However, given the changes to the league's new kickoff rules, it's an addition that will be interesting to watch as the Chiefs figure out the best approach to special teams in '24.