Teammate Travis Kelce provided his take on Rees-Zammit’s acclimation period during an episode of the New Heights podcast last month, offering a dose of reality along with encouragement.
“It’s gonna be a humbling experience at first,” Kelce said when discussing Rees-Zammit with his older brother and recent retiree, Jason Kelce. “It’s not easy to just make that jump. They’re two completely different games. But he is an athlete, and that’s what the Chiefs saw. He’s a smart kid, smart player, so he’s going to be able to pick up the offense eventually, but it’s going to be a tough few months for him here while he’s getting acclimated to the NFL.
“We’ve been doing this since we were kids. We’ve been playing this game, so we just have those little instincts that we’ve built over the years that he has to start to catch up with. Biggest advice I gave him was just try not to let it overwhelm you as much as it can. Just know that everybody believes that you have the potential to be able to play. So just absorb as much as you can, learn as much as you can in the short time that you’ll have before the season.”
Rees-Zammit largely encountered this reality in his first work with the Chiefs, telling reporters Monday he’s going to need time to adjust.
“It’s completely different,” he said. “In rugby, it’s free flowing — unless you get a set piece in rugby that’s when you call a play, there’s probably 20-30 plays a game whereas here you’re talking 100. It’s been interesting to learn the playbook, obviously we’re only a few installs in. I’ve only been here for a week but yeah, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.”
Still, because of the benefits of the program, the Chiefs have zero risk associated. They’re giving Rees-Zammit a try to see if he can use his athletic skills and carve out a place on the final 53-man roster, likely as a returner, especially given the anticipated increase in importance regarding the new kickoff format. Plus, if Rees-Zammit shows promise, perhaps he’ll play a role in Kansas City’s backfield.
Above all, it’s May — the perfect time to try things out. So far, so good.
“I like the fact that he’s got shorter steps initially, that’s a good thing as a running back,” Reid said. “If you’re a long strider in there you’ve got to really work on making it through those tight adjustments you have to make. He seems to have a nice feel though.”
2024-05-06 22:55:00
#wait
