Patrick Mahomes and Louis Rees-Zammit played together in Chiefs colors for the first time on Thursday, with the newest addition to Kansas City’s offense impressing during practice.
Rees-Zammit, who only joined the team in March, was called up when Mahomes threw him a lateral pass after snapping the ball in the end zone.
The 23-year-old, then inexperienced runner showed his lightning pace by dodging flying tackles along the sideline.
“St. Joe makes debut for Rees-Lightning,” the Chiefs report read alongside the clip of the play on X.
Chiefs fans responded enthusiastically to the footage on social media, with many saying they can’t wait to see Rees-Zammit play in the fall.
Patrick Mahomes connected with Louis Rees-Zammit for the first time on Wednesday.
“I’ve been banging the table for him since he joined IPP and then signed for Chiefs,” said one person on X.
“I’m so looking forward to this season ngl,” another user shared.
“Fingering for you, LRZ!” someone else wrote, while a Patriots fan said, “Rees might just be the man who leads the Chiefs higher than the Pats dynasty ever was. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the MVP debates.”
A few fans also noticed that the Welshman still holds the ball like a rugby player, that is, with two hands instead of one like wide receivers do.
A verified account posted: ‘That’s a solid rugby grab! He’s not dropping that ball.’
Rees-Zammit joined Chiefs in March after completing the International Player Pathway
Another user shared: ‘Man carries the ball like a tiki barber who just finished his career, high and tight with both hands.’
Rees-Zammit, who was spotted at Taylor Swift’s concert in Cardiff in June, signed a three-year, $2.85 million contract with the Chiefs on March 29.
In January, he announced that he would retire from rugby union to coach American football through the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) program.
He has represented both Wales and Gloucester in the past.