Football is back.
Kind of.
That might be a generous description for the Chiefs’ first appearance since winning the Lombardi Trophy last February.
The Jaguars defeated the Chiefs in a 26-13 final in which the Chiefs were limited to less than 300 yards of offense.
Even if the result doesn’t count, it left an impression on wide receiver Marquise Brown, whose debut lasted just a single exhibition play.
Good news: It doesn’t count toward the rankings, and since it included four passes from Patrick Mahomes, it’s not really an indication of what to expect next month.
But there are some Insights from the season opener.
Like for example…
1. The “Hollywood” Brown dilemma
A three-week stay in St. Joseph reminded us why Marquise Brown was once selected in the first round.
A one-game stint in Jacksonville served as a reminder of why the Chiefs signed him to a (relatively) cheap one-year contract.
Brown, who impressed in training camp, caught the game’s opening pass but immediately jogged to the sideline and left the field with a shoulder injury. He did not return.
The biggest concern for any team during preseason is an injury to a key player, especially a player with a long injury history.
I am still one of those who believe Brown can have a real impact this season — If he stays healthy.
And this sentence, this limitation, is emphasized even more strongly in his work.
2. The offensive star: Carson Steele
The biggest question I have about the Chiefs roster is the depth of their running back position.
Carson Steele offers Part the answer.
He was the standout player in an otherwise lackluster offensive performance on Saturday. Steele, an undrafted free agent out of UCLA (after transferring from Ball State), made his first run for 20 yards — but only after forcing three missed tackles. He later scored a touchdown on his fourth attempt and finished the run with four carries for 29 yards and the score.
There were a lot of good things to say about Steele in training camp — there’s a reason the Chiefs have been gradually moving him up the ranks — but tackles don’t often come out of these practices. When that translates into a game and he actually becomes a bigger threat, that carries some weight.
The Chiefs are thin in the backfield after starting player Isiah Pacheco, and last week head coach Andy Reid mentioned the possibility of using Steele at fullback.
This is just a bonus though, as his ruthless playstyle has its own value.
3. The defensive star: Jaden Hicks
Jaden Hicks can play.
This is based not only on one night in Jacksonville, but also on the first half of training camp.
But the night in Jacksonville didn’t do any harm.
Hicks, a fourth-round pick, made one appearance on defense. Then he made another on special teams.
In the first quarter, he held the Jaguars to a field goal when he sprinted to tackle Tank Bigsby after receiving a pass behind the line of scrimmage. Later in the half, he tackled Austin Trammell immediately after he caught a punt. Both plays put Hicks one-on-one in the open field.
Hicks deserved a role from the start.
4. A left tackle competition? Maybe not
There isn’t much to be learned from the seven snaps Kingsley Suamataia played in his first NFL game. But the fact that he only played seven snaps – even when Wanya Morris was out – does provide some insight.
At least at first glance, it seems as if the competition between the two is over.
We’ve long known that Suamataia is the proverbial leader on the team, but removing him from the roster after just one series suggests he’s firmly at the top of the order and the Chiefs don’t believe he needs any extra work compared to the other starters.
5. The Kadarius-Toney puzzle
About a dozen Chiefs players did not show up for the game.
One of them could really use the snapshots: Kadarius Toney.
The Chiefs signed Toney 22 months ago – a hefty sum, by the way – because of his talent. Well, the talent is there.
But will that be enough to give him another chance?
He had plenty. Last season was one thing after another – injuries, the infamous offside penalty that nullified the lateral touchdown against the Bills, the accusation that he was healthy even though the Chiefs had him on the injured list. It was a lot. The Chiefs, however, seemed to think they could fix the situation in the offseason, but training camp only confirmed that last year was no exception.
Toney has missed several days of training camp with various injuries, and now he has missed the preseason opener as well. If training camp is any indication, he is not really a player who afford miss time.
He puts himself in a precarious position just weeks before the Chiefs have to reduce their roster to 53 players.
