The Kansas City Chiefs head back to familiar ground to face the San Francisco 49ers in the third game of the 2019 preseason.
This week we’ll get a look at some of the more meaningful position battles on the roster. That’s because it’s dress rehearsal week and the starters are scheduled to play for the majority of the game. While there aren’t a ton of open spots in the starting lineup, there are some recent additions to the roster that are making things intriguing. Here is a look at three of the position battles we’ll be looking at during this preseason Week 3 matchup:
Offensive line
This is perhaps the most intriguing position to watch this week because there were some significant changes during practice.
Andrew Wylie had been lining up with the starters at left guard all offseason, however, that changed this past week as Cameron Erving stepped in as the starter. Erving was the starter at left guard last season before he lost the gig due to injury.
Here’s what Andy Reid had to say about the switch to Erving:
“He and Andrew (Wylie), they’ve been interchangeable, but neither one of them have gotten a lot of reps at other spots. We said, ‘alright, let’s just let them get in there and work it.’ Cam got work with the one’s at the left guard spot and Andrew took the left tackle/right tackle stuff with the other group and kind of rotated in, too. He got a lot of good reps in. We’ve always done that here. We try to keep the guys flexible. That’s one thing with Jeff Allen. Jeff Allen could play all three positions. There’s some value there.”
It’s good for these guys to get repetitions, but the question will be which one of them sticks with the starters? Will they go back to Wylie after this week or is this a sign that they might like him better at tackle?
Also, keep an eye on Jeff Allen and how he fits in here. The Chiefs re-signed Allen on a one-year deal with nearly $1 million in guaranteed money. That’s a sign that they expect him to make the roster, even as a late addition. He knows the system and likely will be a primary backup in Kansas City. He can play any position along the offensive line, but where will the Chiefs have him lined up during the 49ers game? Where Allen plays could determine the role for a guy like Wylie moving forward.
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Linebacker
The Chiefs haven’t really been going with the linebacker grouping that they said they would this offseason. Damien Wilson has been lining up at WILL linebacker instead of SAM linebacker. Reggie Ragland has taken over the SAM linebacker spot for the starters. It’s pretty clear that some of these positions are fluid, but it’s also worth noting that Steve Spagnuolo believes in a rotation at the linebacker position.
“We’ll let that kind of dictate itself,” Spagnuolo said. “The reason I say that, I was back with Andy (Reid) when we went to that Super Bowl in ’04 against the Patriots in Jacksonville, I think we played six linebackers. I thought that was good, everyone was involved, and everybody had a role. I’m not saying that will happen here, but I think it’s advantageous for that particular room when it’s like that.”
There was a time when Spagnuolo carried nine different linebackers on the Giants roster, so it’s clear he likes to have options at the position. Keep an eye on players like Darron Lee and Ben Niemann who have had standout preseasons, but have mostly been relegated to second-team repetitions. They could potentially be in line for some action with the first-team if Spagnuolo is looking at using a rotation this season.
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Kick and punt returner
Bringing back De’Anthony Thomas has really thrown a wrench into things when it comes to projecting the starting kick and punt returners for the Chiefs. In the past several seasons with the Chiefs, Thomas was the primary kick returner while Tyreek Hill returned punts.
Before Thomas’ injury in 2018, he was returning both kicks and punts for the Chiefs. After Thomas’ injury Tremon Smith took over the kick return duties and Hill continued returning punts. This year they’ve had a more open competition, but guys like Byron Pringle, Cody Thompson and Darwin Thompson have failed to really stand out in the special teams return game and take advantage of that opportunity. Mecole Hardman looks to be the guy taking over at punt returner for Hill, but he’s even seen his struggles.
I have to think that bringing Thomas back into the fold isn’t good news for Smith. He needs to be the starter at kick returner if he’s to make this team. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Thomas get a healthy dose of kick and punt returns this week. They could continue to start Smith there to try and build trade value.
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