Chiefs preseason Week 1 snap counts: Confidence shown in Xavier Worthy, Kingsley Suamataia
The Kansas City Chiefs opened the 2024 NFL preseason with a road loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night. The game gave fans the first true look at the 90-man offseason roster in game-day activities. It's extremely difficult to glean a whole lot of information from the preseason snaps given the sheer number of […]
The Kansas City Chiefs opened the 2024 NFL preseason with a road loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night.
The game gave fans the first true look at the 90-man offseason roster in game-day activities. It's extremely difficult to glean a whole lot of information from the preseason snaps given the sheer number of players to get involved throughout the game. It's still worth diving in and seeing what exactly we can learn from the weekly snap count numbers and accompanying observations.
Here’s a look at how the snaps came down in preseason Week 1 followed by some takeaways:
Snap counts via NFL Game Stats Information System
Confidence shown in Xavier Worthy, Kingsley Suamataia
The Chiefs seem to have confidence and plans for their first two picks in the 2024 NFL draft. First-round draft pick Xavier Worthy got four snaps with the first-team offense and one snap with the second-team offense. He only played five total snaps, with no special teams snaps, which is one fewer snap than the starters in Kansas City.
As for second-round draft pick Kingsley Suamataia, he's the clear starter at the left tackle position. He was pulled from the game with the rest of the starting offensive line, only taking six snaps on the night.
I suspect that Hollywood Brown's injury probably had something to do with Reid's decision to pull starters and key players early. That said, it's clear that the team thinks highly of both of these players and has plans for them to contribute in a big way.
Who is the first man off the bench in case of injury in the wide receiver room?
After WR Marquise "Hollywood" Brown went down with a sternoclavicular joint injury on the first offensive snap of the game, he was replaced by third-year WR Skyy Moore. Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice were also among the receivers who remained in with the starters.
Moore's mastery of the playbook and ability to slot in at virtually any receiver position seems to make him a valuable backup for Kansas City. It's a bit surprising that neither Mecole Hardman nor Justyn Ross got a crack with the first unit, but they did only play six snaps after all.
It's also worth noting that both WRs Justin Watson and Kadarius Toney did not play on Saturday night. They could potentially be higher in the pecking order had they been available to play (Watson is more likely than Toney, in my opinion).
Carson Steele steals the show
In just nine offensive snaps, Chiefs rookie RB Carson Steele put up the best performance of the night on the offensive side of the ball.
Steele also played six special teams snaps, which tied for the third-highest percentage (24%) of any offensive player for the Chiefs in preseason Week 1. He often played on the PP (punt protection) team.
Special teams snaps that matter
Dave Toub might insist that he doesn't have any control over the 53-man roster, but we all know that to be a bald-faced lie. The Chiefs didn't have a ton of success with the new kick return rules in preseason Week 1, but the following players got reps with the first-team units on Saturday night.
Players who played on the first-team kick return unit: Nikko Remigio, Louis Rees-Zammit, Jaden Hicks, Deon Bush, Nic Jones, Cam Jones, Noah Gray, Jack Cochrane, Leo Chenal, Chamarri Conner
Players who played on the first-team kick return unit: Josh Williams, Keith Taylor, Jack Cochrane, Jaden Hicks, Leo Chenal, Cornell Powell, Chamarri Conner, Deon Bush, Cam Jones, Nic Jones
Other notable observations
Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Malik Herring, Keith Taylor, Neil Farrell Jr., Deon Bush, Jaden Hicks, Cole Christiansen, Cam Jones, and Nic Jones (slot) were among the first players to rotate in on the second-team defense. Christian Roland-Wallace (safety) and Matt Dickerson were rotated in later in the second quarter.
Deneric Prince was third in the pecking order for RB snaps behind Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Carson Steele was fourth.
Jared Wiley got action with the second-team offense. Ethan Driskell got snaps at second and third-team left tackle.
Irv Smith Jr., Cornell Powell, Montrell Washington, and Nikko Remigio saw snaps with Chris Oladokun at the end of the second quarter.
Ekow Boye-Doe and Truman Jones were rotated in on defense late in the second quarter.
Kamal Hadden, Miles Battle, Fabien Lovett, Curtis Jacobs, and Swayze Bozeman didn't play on defense until the second half.
Louis Rees-Zammit, Keontay Ingram, and Emani Bailey didn't get any action on offense until the second half.
Hunter Nourzad and CJ Hanson played a ton of snaps throughout the game, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Nourzad was the lead-blocker, pulling on Steele's touchdown run.
Chiefs WR Hollywood Brown’s hospital discharge bodes well for injury recovery timeline
Chiefs WR Hollywood Brown has been discharged and cleared to return to Kansas City following his hospitalization on Saturday night.
