Arrowhead Pride
On Friday night, the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Seattle Seahawks in their second preseason game. The game won’t kick off until 9 p.m. Arrowhead Time, but it will give the Chiefs another chance to continue preparing for the upcoming season. Some developments from the final day of training camp on Wednesday foreshadowed what the Chiefs’ game plan could be for the game.
While some of the key starters may rest, there will still be plenty to keep an eye on.
During the Chiefs’ final practice of training camp on Wednesday, Gardner Minshew drew attention by taking a majority of the snaps with the Chiefs’ first team.
After practice, it became clear why.
With the news of Mahomes’ sitting coming into play, it is clear that the Chiefs’ coaching staff is going to give Minshew a chance to line up and take as many snaps as possible. The Chiefs are likely willing to leave nothing to chance with the funky game time — 9 p.m. Central Time — and time change from the trip to the West Coast.
Mahomes will rest, and Minshew will get a chance to continue to put good football on tape.
In the preseason opener in Arizona, Minshew went 6 for 9 and ran in a touchdown with the second team. It was announced that the starting offensive line would play, along with the rest of the core starters outside of Travis Kelce, so Minshew will get a chance to show what he can do with most of the Chiefs’ weapons.
The Chiefs appear to have narrowed the returner battle down to four candidates after giving multiple players looks in camp.
Nikko Remigio, Brashard Smith, Skyy Moore and Tyquan Thornton were the four players to return punts during the practice. Last week, Thornton and Moore both returned one punt each, with incumbent returner Remigio not seeing any snaps.
This move was surprising, since Remigio had a solid season last year returning kickoffs and punts.
That said, the Chiefs have a crowded roster, and finding versatile players like Thornton and Smith who could turn into long-term contributors on offense and special teams will give them an edge on cut-down day if they prove they can be reliable.
The Chiefs’ depth at cornerback was tested early last week when Jaylen Watson left the game under concussion protocol. If he doesn’t play in this game, who starts in his place will be worth watching.
Rookie Nohl Williams stood out among the crowd last week, looking strong at the point of attack and making plays on the football. Second-year player Christian Roland-Wallace also made a few nice plays when given snaps, and he might have done enough to put his name in contention to make the roster for a second consecutive season.
The question marks will come with Nazeeh Johnson and Joshua Williams....
