Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid commented on the play of his rookies as he ignored the loss itself.
The Kansas City Chiefs lost their first preseason game, 20-12, to the Los Angeles Rams, but coach Andy Reid quickly short-circuited any questions about the actual game to focus on the performance of his key rookies.
It’s a solid approach, as the games really don’t matter, although the Chiefs did look mostly flat in this one. But preseason games are for evaluating rookies, which is especially important to the Chiefs given that their new players are going to be expected to step up and contribute right away.
Jesse Newell of The Athletic did a breakdown about who did what, according to Reid, so let’s go there and see what he had to say.
Cyrus Allen, WR
Allen has been the day-three draftee that everyone wants to fall in love with in training camp, but he almost went down with a significant injury after a special teams collision the week before last. In this one, though, Allen made a couple of catches, including one Newell called an “acrobatic” one over the middle. Allen also picked up some yardage after the catch in traffic on another play in the first quarter that was called back due to a penalty.
R Mason Thomas, Edge
The Chiefs drafted Thomas to provide pressure off the edge on high-leverage downs, and he did exactly that in two of his plays. It’s a good sign for a team whose pass rush couldn’t get home last season, and the Chiefs will be looking for more of that going forward.
Emmett Johnson, RB
Johnson was buried among the subs at first, but the Chiefs trotted him out yesterday as new running back Kenneth Walker III sat out the opener. Johnson rushed 12 times for 59 yards, and according to Newell he was “showing better burst than any player from K.C.’s backfield last year.”
Garrett Nussmeier, QB
All eyes have been on quarterback Patrick Mahomes as he continues to rehab from knee surgery, but the Chiefs have made changes at backup QB as well, and Nussmeier was drafted in the seventh round as the team took a flyer on the LSU product.
Nussmeier did surprisingly well. He was mobile behind what Newell called a “shaky” offensive line, and Nussmeier displayed admirable patience on several plays as he waited for receivers to come open. It’s what you’d expect from an SEC quarterback who starred early in his college career, and the Chiefs will be hoping for more signs of development as training camp continues.
