The Kansas City Chiefs are evaluating rookies and young players, and several had some good moments.
The Kansas City Chiefs have been focused on evaluating their rookies during preseason games, as coach Andy Reid has long felt that’s the main value of these otherwise meaningless contests. Jesse Newell of The Athletic provided a “stock report” on who’s up and who’s down, so let’s start with a summary of the risers.
Jalen Royals WR
The Chiefs have been waiting for Royals to arrive since they drafted him in the fourth round last year, and he had his best game as a pro, per Newell, with six catches for 51 yards and some nice moves in the open field.
“It was great to see Royals step up and have a couple nice catches,” coach Andy Reid said. “And then the yards after the catch, I thought, were nice. He did a nice job there.”
Royals has been facing some stiff competition for fellow receiver Cyrus Allen, and having both step up would alleviate depth issues for the Chiefs at the position.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah DE
Anudike-Uzomah is having his best training camp, and Reid said he’s been “way different getting off the ball” this summer. He registered quarterback pressures on three straight snaps against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, including what Newell described as a “decleating” of Bucs quarterback Jake Browning after a speed rush off the corner. The defensive end is still just 24 even though he’s in his fourth season, so there could be some untapped potential there, per the writer.
Mansoor Delane CB
The Chiefs have been waiting to see their top pick on the field after he struggled with a shoulder injury, and he didn’t disappoint. Newell noted that he showed physicality at the line of scrimmage to go with a high football IQ, including a highlight play where he diagnosed and blew up a Bucs bubble screen that resulted in a one-yard loss. That was the only reception he allowed in 11 snaps, so the Chiefs will probably put him back in bubble wrap until the season opener on Sept. 14 against the Denver Broncos.
R Mason Thomas DE
Kansas City drafted Thomas to get after the passer, and he, too, didn’t disappoint. He contributed two more QB pressures while making plays on third down, with Newell saying that his speed around the edge was noteworthy.
Jaden Hicks S
Hicks wasn’t an expected name on this list, according to the writer, as the third-year safety has struggled to pick up the scheme nuances of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo so far. But he did have a strip sack of Browning in the second quarter, which drew praise from Reid.
“Hicks had another good game,” Reid said, “so that’s a positive on the defensive side.”
