Louis Rees-Zammit overcame injury concerns to make his home debut for the Kansas City Chiefs against the Detroit Lions.
The former rugby union wing was expected to miss the pre-season contest at Arrowhead Stadium because of a back issue.
But the 23-year-old shrugged off those concerns to feature in multiple roles as the reigning Super Bowl champions were beaten 24-23 by the Lions.
Rees-Zammit – who represented Gloucester, Wales and the British and Irish Lions in rugby union – took a kick-off in addition to spending time with the punt return team.
He returned a Lions kick-off for 27 yards and briefly operated as a wide receiver.
Following his maiden appearance at Arrowhead, Rees-Zammit told KSNT News: “I got to experience [the atmosphere] a little bit today. I’m excited for another game here next week and then we’ll see what happens.
“I’m trying my hardest. I’m working hard in training every day to show what I can do.
“The more reps I get, the better I’ll get so I’m excited to see what’s going to happen next week and obviously in the future.”
Rees-Zammit made his Chiefs debut in their first pre-season clash at the Jacksonville Jaguars last weekend.
The Welshman is now targeting a place in the Chiefs’ 53-man roster for the NFL season, which starts against the Baltimore Ravens on 6 September.
The Chiefs will confirm their roster in full following their final pre-season fixture against the Chicago Bears on Friday, 23 August (01:20 BST).
