Chiefs' Week 7 snap counts: Charles Omenihu dominates in return

The Kansas City Chiefs notched their sixth win of the season with a 31-17 win against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 7. With some players suiting up for the first time, we saw a few changes in the snap trends. There was even an interesting development when a starter had to exit the game for […]

Charles Goldman — NFL Managing Editor

Oct 23, 2023 2:00 PM EDT

The Kansas City Chiefs notched their sixth win of the season with a 31-17 win against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 7.

With some players suiting up for the first time, we saw a few changes in the snap trends. There was even an interesting development when a starter had to exit the game for a few snaps.

How did the snap counts come down in Week 7? Here's a quick look at a few of the top snap-related storylines below.

Snap counts via NFL Game Stats Information System

Snaps Part 1

via NFLGSIS

Snaps Part 2

via NFLGSIS

Charles Omenihu dominates in return to action:

Charles Omenihu performed better than anyone could have possibly expected in his return from suspension. Not only did he play a lot of snaps, with over 50% of the defensive snaps in Week 7, but he was quite successful. He played 32 total snaps, including 19 pass-rushing snaps. Those pass-rushing snaps resulted in a 22% pass-rush win rate with four pressures (third-most on defense), one sack, and one pass batted resulting in an interception. He made a tangible impact in his return and while he'll probably be sore today, we can only expect his role to increase as he continues to get acclimated.

Wanya Morris excels in place of Donovan Smith:

Chiefs LT Donovan Smith left the game for what appeared to be a finger injury at several different junctures. Surprisingly, it wasn't Lucas Niang who came off the bench to spell him. Instead, it was rookie OT Wanya Morris. He had one pass-blocking snap and two run-blocking snaps. He didn't surrender pressure on his lone pass-blocking snap and actually looked really good going against Chargers DE Khalil Mack. That's a valuable piece of experience and a positive sign for the future. Could Morris be the team's left tackle of the future? It looks like the team envisions him as a potential long-term solution there.

Mecole Hardman and the WR snaps:

In his return to Kansas City, Hardman played just 11 snaps, good for the fewest of any of the Chiefs' wide receivers. That should change as things progress, but right now it looks like Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore and Rashee Rice will be the top snap-getters at wide receiver. Justyn Ross seems to gradually be getting more work, but that could change once a player like Justin Watson returns from injury.

Special teams observations:

Leo Chenal played the most special teams snaps of any player (21). Chamarri Conner and Jack Cochrane tied for a close second (19). Cochrane, Cam Jones, Nic Jones, Nick Allegretti, and Lucas Niang were the five non-specialist players to play special teams-only snaps.