Cornerback and kick returners still a major need for the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of season
By Calvin Silvers
The Kansas City Chiefs are back practicing in their home facilities, preparing for Thursday’s last preseason contest, which will take place at Arrowhead Stadium at 7:20 p.m. The opponent will be the Chicago Bears, but more importantly, it’s the last chance for players to make an impact as coaches will finalize the 53-man roster ahead of opening night against the Baltimore Ravens.
The Chiefs come off a 24-23 loss to the Detroit Lions on Saturday, falling 0-2 in the preseason. There are two major voices of concern for the Chiefs after two contests, and one remains to be the unknown of who will be returning kickoffs in the new format.
“Louis (Rees-Zammit) can kick off, I mean, there’s no question about that,” special teams coordinator Dave Toub said. “He can kick off and could be a viable cover guy.”
Toub didn’t get a lot of evaluation due to the number of touchbacks in the first preseason contest but had more chances against the Lions. Besides Rees-Zammit still being a candidate to return kicks, so is Skyy Moore, as Toub is trying to work him into the role more
“You know, I’m glad we got some returns this week to see, you know, what our stuff’s going to look like,” Toub said. “I was happy with the way they blocked and finished.”
The other problem is the need for a second cornerback to rise and take the position, but that has yet to happen in a game or practice. However, the possibility of bringing in a vet is not off the table according to defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
“Coach Reid or Brett (Veach), I think, they’d tell you they’re always looking and they got their eyes on them, and typically Brett will come to me and say, ‘can you look at this guy and that guy,’ so I’m sure that’ll happen in these next couple of days,” Spagnuolo said.
It’s not just the defense smoothing things over, as the wide receiver room is still figuring things out ahead of the first contest against Baltimore. For Mecole Hardman, he’s back with the Chiefs this season after spending half of last season with the New York Jets, before returning to Kansas City and making a Super Bowl-winning catch.
This time of year can be stressful and uptight as cuts are being made, but Hardman knows this time is important for teams and players alike, as the regular season will be a wake-up call.
“You hit the preseason, it kind of gives you like a college field in a sense, like you feel like you’re good, but then you have regular season ahead and the speed changes and the scheme, the atmosphere, it all changes,” Hardman said. “It’s definitely one of those times where, you know, all the hard work that you’ve been doing the whole camp and trying to make a way and try to make a spot on the team.”
Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy feels confident in his starters at the receiver position, it’s more about filling the back end with the right athletes.
“There’s obviously some numbers that we feel pretty good about,” Nagy said. “There’s that competition part and we still have this game coming up here, which is going to be valuable for a lot of these guys.”
