The Kansas City Chiefs hit the road again for the final game of the 2019 preseason. They’ll face the Green Bay Packers.
This game will be all about the competition at the bottom of the roster. The starters won’t be playing during this game and instead, all of the backups will see action as they compete to make the Chiefs’ 53-man roster. There are a lot of different positions to keep an eye on for the Chiefs but these are the three different position battles that we’ll be looking at during this preseason Week 4 matchup:
Quarterback
There may not be a starting quarterback battle for the Chiefs, but there’s very clearly a battle for the No. 3 spot. Whether that spot is on the 53-man roster or the practice squad remains to be seen. Ultimately, Andy Reid is going to have to make a choice between Chase Litton and Kyle Shurmur.
According to Reid, each player will receive a full half of play against the Packers. While Shurmur is coming off the better game, Litton has a better body of work throughout the preseason. That makes this game a big deciding factor in which of the two players will continue on with the Chiefs.
The one thing we don’t get to see with this position battle is how these two have done in the classroom. Reid has been impressed with Shurmur, who has taken repetitions ahead of Litton the entirety of training camp and the preseason.
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Wide receiver
The receiver battle is going to go down to the wire in Kansas City. It got especially unique following the injury to ace special teamer Marcus Kemp. The team added De’Anthony Thomas, a former 2014 draft pick by the Chiefs who was a free agent. That tosses a wild-card into a battle that at least initially appeared to be between Byron Pringle and Cody Thompson.
It’ll be curious to see if the Chiefs even have Thomas take snaps against the Packers. On one hand, he could use the repetitions, on the other he seems like a lock to make the team because of his prowess on special teams.
That leaves Pringle and Thompson battling for one final roster spot if the Chiefs keep just six receivers. Thompson had the more consistent 2019 preseason of the two players, catching a gang of passes for over 80 yards. A good performance against the Packers this week could convince the Chiefs that he is the man for the job.
Pringle has the only touchdown of the two players this preseason, which occurred last week against the 49ers. A distant memory was his performance against the Packers, also in Week 4 of the preseason but in 2018. If he can repeat a performance like that this season, he’ll be a shoo-in to make the Chiefs’ roster.
It’s also important to keep an eye on all of the other receivers on the roster as a big performance could earn a spot on the practice squad.
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Cornerback
Right now, I feel there are virtually four locks at the cornerback position for the Chiefs. Those players are Kendall Fuller, Bashaud Breeland, Charvarius Ward and Morris Claiborne. Beyond those four players, there is any number of combinations the Chiefs could go with.
Herb Miller was the first player off the bench when Breeland left briefly against the 49ers last week. He’s been ascending up the depth chart throughout the preseason. Before Miller it was D’Montre Wade who was the first one off the bench during training camp. Keep an eye on how those two players do heading into this game because they’re likely competing for a spot.
Sixth-round rookie Rashard Fenton started to flash last week and he’s been the primary backup in the slot. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has previously emphasized the need to find a backup there.
Another player to keep an eye on is Mark Fields, he’s cracked the second team lineup a few times this preseason. He’s been a fan favorite since joining the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent out of Clemson.
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