6 Players Chiefs Will Regret Leaving Off 53-Man Roster

3. Louis Rees-Zammit, RB/KR

One of the more interesting pickups for the Chiefs all offseason was the addition of rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit, who was getting a look both as an offensive weapon as well as a potential option in the kick return game. There was actually a decent amount of competition to sign Rees-Zammit after he had a great workout for NFL teams including showing off his blazing speed.

The combination of his size, speed, and rugby background all added up to potentially help NFL teams take advantage of the brand-new kickoff return format, which many of us saw for the very first time during preseason action.

If teams are going to be returning more kicks this coming season, it makes a lot of sense to start hoarding better return men. The issue is, we saw a lot more teams just kicking the ball out of the end zone again in the preseason after kickoffs started getting returned well past the 30-yard line on average.

Did that trend late in the preseason hurt a player like Rees-Zammit? Maybe. The Chiefs are undoubtedly going to hope to put him on the practice squad and utilize the International Player Exemption, basically giving them a free 17th spot on the practice squad. It wouldn't be a bad idea to add a player like this who could be called up to the active roster in the event the Chiefs would want to deploy him against certain teams.

You could see in the preseason that the talent was there, and the issue is that other teams undoubtedly saw that as well. There's a chance a player like Rees-Zammit will get through waivers and still get offers from other teams. The Chiefs had competition before he ultimately signed in Kansas City and perhaps some of those other teams still have interest.

But the hope is going to be bringing him back to the practice squad.