onejayhawk Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 (edited) It goes without saying that our ST will have a new look this season. Kemp, Watts, O'Daniel, and Lammons were almost exclusively ST. McKinnon, Pringle, Sorensen, Niemann, and Hughes played over 100 ST snaps in addition to other duties. All nine are gone. The returning players with over 100 ST snaps are Burton, Gray, and Bell. That's it. Off the top of my head, I would guess Skyy Moore can be a good PR and Isaiah Pacheco can be a good KR. After that it's open call. Some veterans, may play more but mostly this will be a place for PS players and rookies to make the roster. Edited May 5, 2022 by onejayhawk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KC_Guy Posted May 5, 2022 Share Posted May 5, 2022 to the best of my knowledge McKinnon is not on the team right now ... unless they signed him yesterday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakuvious Posted May 5, 2022 Share Posted May 5, 2022 Yeah, McKinnon is definitely still a FA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onejayhawk Posted May 5, 2022 Author Share Posted May 5, 2022 15 hours ago, KC_Guy said: to the best of my knowledge McKinnon is not on the team right now ... unless they signed him yesterday. Duly noted. It is sufficient to say that there are a lot of openings to go with a lot of candidates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedGold Posted May 5, 2022 Share Posted May 5, 2022 (edited) Punt Returner is really the only thing on ST’s that I’m wondering about. Very small part of the game nowadays, im guessing Hardman will do it a bunch , he’s really the only one I see. I’m sure Skyy Moore will get looks, but not sure he’s ever done it. Ronald Jones will likely get looks at KR. Aside from that: Burton, Bell, and Bush are all 4 phase ST’ers so I think we’ll be good in that regard. Edited May 5, 2022 by RedGold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onejayhawk Posted May 6, 2022 Author Share Posted May 6, 2022 (edited) Skyy was not asked to return punts but he is elusive. Hardman has experience but not great results. We also have Corey Coleman who is fast and various reserve players Jones is a possible KR but his injury history is an issue. There is Gore on a one year deal, but also not a first option. Isaiah Pacheco is sub 4.4 and he's built like a tank. He's not elusive but he can break tackles and run away from people. The problem is that Burton, Gray, and Bell are the ONLY 4 phase players returning. Deon Bush would be a nice addition if he makes the team. Fortson was a good ST player until his injury, Baker can play ST, Zayne Anderson emerged late in the season. Add to that drafts of five DB, a LB, and UDFA Mke Rose. We can piece things together. One person who will not be involved is Gerhig Dieter who was released. The roster is currently at 81.https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2022/5/5/23059188/nfl-free-agency-chiefs-waive-gehrig-dieter-nakia-griffin-stewart-josh-pederson-lorenzo-neal-others Edited May 6, 2022 by onejayhawk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onejayhawk Posted May 24, 2022 Author Share Posted May 24, 2022 We have seen two articles covering snap counts fr the Offense and Defense. I do not expect one for the Special Teams, so here is what I came up with. We lost about 45% of our total ST snaps and over 80% of the core snaps. Five of seven players with over 200 ST snap are gone--Do'D, Marcus Kemp, Armani Watts, Ben Niemann, and Chris Lammons. In additon Mike Hughes, Byron Pringle, Jerrick McKinnon, and Dan Sorensen each had over 100 snaps. The only returning players wih over 100 ST snaps, not counting the three specialists, are Noah Gray, Mike Burton, and Blake Bell. All is not lost. Jody Fortson returns from injury and Zayne Anderson was making a name late last last season. FA signee Deon Bush has ST experience and the draft was full of candidates, with only DE George Karlaftis unlikely to see extensive work. DB Nazeeh Johnson may have been chosen specifically for ST and two UDFA also loom as candidates, Mike Rose and Jerrion Ealy. There is much to be done, but the raw materials are good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onejayhawk Posted June 17, 2022 Author Share Posted June 17, 2022 (edited) The Chiefs reacquired Chris Lammons. He represents a big chunk of the snaps they lost and a lot of experience. The downside is that he's a ST-only player. All that said, I still think the Chiefs drafted Nazeeh Johnson and signed Mike Rose to replace Lammons and Do'D. Both are more likely to get regular snaps than their predecessor. Indeed, Rose has a chance to replace Ben Niemann as dime LB. Edited June 17, 2022 by onejayhawk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onejayhawk Posted June 24, 2022 Author Share Posted June 24, 2022 Both the kick and punt return players are gone. Who will fill the gap? Here are three names--Pacheco, Skyy, McKinnon.https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/are_there_any_new_kick_or_punt_return_candidates_for_chiefs_in_2022/s1_16880_37620634 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onejayhawk Posted July 17, 2022 Author Share Posted July 17, 2022 Back in January, the Chiefs were ranked 4th over by Rick Gosselin. That was the biggest climb in the NFL, up from 19th in 2020. With our personnel turnover, it will be a hard standard to meet.https://www.si.com/nfl/talkoffame/nfl/rick-gosselins-2020-nfl-special-teams-rankingshttps://www.si.com/nfl/talkoffame/nfl/rick-gosselins-2021-nfl-special-teams-rankings Gosselin has done an historic look at the evolution of special teams. He ranks Toub as the best ST coach in history.https://www.si.com/nfl/talkoffame/nfl/the-history-of-nfl-special-teams-and-their-rankings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onejayhawk Posted August 3, 2022 Author Share Posted August 3, 2022 (edited) I have been expecting Isaiah Pacheco to win the KR job the team drafted a RB with sub-4.40 speed. Sure enough, going into the preseasn games, Pacheco is the #1 KR man. PR is still unsettled but Skyy Moore and Trent McDuffie are taking kicks. My money is on Moore for this season. Overall, there are six players gone who played all four phases of special teams. These articles go through some of the players making progress toward replacing them. https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2022/8/2/23289068/chiefs-st-coach-dave-toub-says-rookie-isiah-pacheco-is-the-first-option-at-kick-returnerhttps://chiefswire.usatoday.com/lists/kansas-city-chiefs-dave-toub-special-teams-contributors-isiah-pacheco-justin-watson-elijah-lee/ Edited August 3, 2022 by onejayhawk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakuvious Posted August 3, 2022 Share Posted August 3, 2022 I'd love for Moore to win the PR job. Hardman's athleticism will always make him some level of threat there, but it's never felt like he's had quite the vision of guys like Hall or Hill in the past there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onejayhawk Posted August 4, 2022 Author Share Posted August 4, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, Jakuvious said: I'd love for Moore to win the PR job. Hardman's athleticism will always make him some level of threat there, but it's never felt like he's had quite the vision of guys like Hall or Hill in the past there. I thought before the draft that Moore would be ideal as a PR. He was a superior slot receiver in college because he has great instincts and agility, which should make him a superior PR. Recall that Tyreek Hill first entered the offense as a slot receiver and it is still considered his best role. The flip side is that Skyy has never returned punts before. There is a learning curve. Hardman has the straight line speed that few can match, but Moore will be able to make more first attempts miss. While he isn't a sub-4.4 burner like Hardman, MVS, or Pacheco, Moore has good top-end speed and should turn more 3-yard returns into 8-yard returns. This is on Justin Watson. His name has come up in several contexts--eg Mahomes has said a few things--but this shows why he has a legitimate chance to make the roster. In a nutshell, it's as a viable WR who can take Marcus Kemp's role. We have said all along that the 5th and 6th WRs will have to play ST and Watson does that quite well.https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2022/8/3/23290814/chiefs-training-camp-notebook-justin-watson-emerges-as-true-player-to-watch Edited August 4, 2022 by onejayhawk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onejayhawk Posted September 4, 2022 Author Share Posted September 4, 2022 Oh my. What a difference a month makes. By week #1 of preseason, we already knew Watson was a made man and Pacheco was the most-hyped rookie not picked on day #1. Watson has been compared to Marcus Kemp in the ST context. Here is a bridge article, covering several things raised in this thread. This is an excellent recap of 2021. For example, I did not know that Tommy Townsend failed to qualify for recognition because our offense was too good. 'Strue. It also gives you a look at who will be the core ST players this season. Any mention of McDuffie should probably be read as either Watson or Williams. There are rookie CB and there are 1st round picks at CB. With two big, fast rookies, I do not expect McDuffie to see much field time.https://chiefswire.usatoday.com/lists/kansas-city-chiefs-2021-special-teams-review-2022-outlook-harrison-butker-tommy-townsend/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onejayhawk Posted September 9, 2022 Author Share Posted September 9, 2022 Toub confirms Pacheco as the primary KR but returns to Hardman for PR.https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2022/9/8/23343432/chiefs-st-coach-dave-toub-confirms-returners-for-2022-plus-other-notes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.