Chiefs Roster: Revisiting 5 largest preseason questions on 2024

In a sequence of articles printed over the summer season, I coated the ten largest questions going through the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs in 2024. In the course of the bye week, let’s revisit them. At the moment, we’ll take a look at 5 of them.

This was certainly one of my largest considerations for 2024.

Exterior of Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas Metropolis’s working backs had nearly no expertise; the workforce was counting on some new gamers to step up and show themselves. However then after his launch from the Denver Broncos on the last cutdown, the Chiefs signed veteran Samaje Perine.

The depth was examined nearly instantly when Pacheco fractured his fibula throughout Week 2. With out their starter — and with Edwards-Helaire on the Reserve/NFI (non-football sickness) listing — the Chiefs re-signed their former star Kareem Hunt to the apply squad, clearly intending to maneuver him as much as the 53-man roster when he was prepared. For one week, Kansas Metropolis needed to depend on undrafted rookie Carson Steele, whose physicality and explosiveness saved the working recreation environment friendly.

However after Steele fumbled away the beginning job, Hunt took over — and has been spectacular to date. Whereas the lengthy pace we noticed in 2018 is gone, he nonetheless possesses explosiveness and imaginative and prescient. His success charges as a rusher (65.9%) and a receiver (75.0%) are each higher than his first stint with the Chiefs. After 44 touches over two weeks, head coach Andy Reid joked that Hunt would wish time within the ice tub — so it’ll be attention-grabbing to see how the workforce manages his workload. However to date, Kansas Metropolis has had sufficient depth.

Coming into the season, left deal with was arguably the workforce’s most regarding place. There was no veteran pushing secxond-round rookie Kingsley Suamataia or second-year participant Wanya Morris, who was banged up all through coaching camp. So it appeared Suamataia had received the job. He began all the preseason video games and did properly in his Week 1 begin towards the Baltimore Ravens — however then in Week 2, the Cincinnati Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson took his lunch cash. That compelled the workforce’s hand.

Since then, Morris has recorded three begins, during which his presence has been an general constructive. For a younger participant, his run blocking is spectacular — and he’s executed simply sufficient in move safety. Whereas he’s getting numerous chip assist, he’s holding up properly sufficient to proceed beginning. Given his traits, I nonetheless consider Suamataia is the long-term reply — however for now, taking part in Morris is sensible.

After the preseason, it appeared as if Kansas Metropolis had 4 playable safeties — however to date, the workforce has been relying on three.

Within the base protection, Justin Reid is the robust security, whereas Bryan Cook dinner is the free security. Of their nickel alignment, Chamarri Conner turns into the nickel again. When the Chiefs are in dime, they create in Nazeeh Johnson at cornerback and push McDuffie into the slot. Then Reid performs field security and Conner performs deep security.

The unbelievable versatility of the workforce’s safeties makes this work. When tackling, Reid is a terrific field defender. Conner can play properly in each positions. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s protection has at all times labored greatest with versatile safeties — and in 2024, the Chiefs have them.

With out L’Jarius Sneed, the Chiefs may not depend upon Trent McDuffie within the slot. With nobody who may journey with exterior receivers (and questionable cornerback depth) shifting McDuffie to the skin made sense. However how would the workforce alter to him shifting away from his greatest place?

Listed here are McDuffie’s alignments over his first two seasons — and the primary 5 video games of 2024.

Knowledge from Professional Soccer Focus

Listed here are a few key factors:

When McDuffie strikes inside, the Chiefs are combating the participant reverse Jaylen Watson on the skin. After taking part in poorly on the skin in Week 2, cornerback Joshua Williams has performed solely on particular groups. In the meantime, Nazeeh Johnson has been up-and-down on the skin. This provides the workforce incentive to play McDuffie exterior extra usually.
Chamarri Conner is great as a seventh run defender — one who additionally brings skill as a blitzer. This makes him a useful choice within the slot. Whereas Conner isn’t the person defender McDuffie is, he’s arguably extra useful as a run defender (and blitzer) than McDuffie.

So long as McDuffie continues to play glorious on the skin, there’s no motive for the Chiefs to alter what they’re doing — until one of the best receiver they face in a recreation is a slot receiver. In that case, McDuffie ought to play man protection on him. Johnson will simply to step up.

Because the season started, Rice regarded improbable — however sadly, it didn’t final lengthy. He was misplaced for the season early within the Week 4 recreation towards the Los Angeles Chargers.

Kansas Metropolis needed Rice to take full benefit of his measurement and explosiveness, so the workforce primarily used him within the slot. Most of its passing offense was designed round getting him the ball in house — whether or not via slants, screens, or beneath crossers — and giving him the largest share of the passing targets.

Now, nevertheless, others should take these targets. Within the final two video games, the Chiefs have lastly been in a position to get tight finish Travis Kelce concerned within the passing recreation. That helped. JuJu Smith-Schuster has additionally been a nice shock, getting powerful targets over the center of the sector.

To maintain their passing recreation constant, although, I nonetheless assume Kansas Metropolis must make a deal for an additional wideout earlier than the November 5 commerce deadline. Nonetheless, it’s good to know the Chiefs have some choices.