Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 3 Snap Count Observations: R Mason Thomas stock up, Cyrus Allen stock down
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Miami Dolphins 24-10 on Sunday. Here’s a look at the snap counts and how everything played out in Week 3.
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Miami Dolphins 24-10 to advance to 3-0 in Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season
After a high snap count on offense in Week 2 due to overtime, the defense led the Chiefs’ snap totals with 71 in Week 3’s game. The offense played just 52 total snaps by comparison, reflecting the nearly 10-minute difference in time of possession. It also speaks to how efficient Kansas City was on offense in Week 3.
What else did we learn about Kansas City from Week 3 snap counts? Here’s how the snaps played out in Week 3, followed by some takeaways.
Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 3 snap counts vs. Miami Dolphins
| Player & Position | Offense | Defense | Special Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| C. Humphrey — C | 52 (100%) | — | 5 (28%) |
| K. Benson — T | 52 (100%) | — | 5 (28%) |
| K. Suamataia — OL | 52 (100%) | — | 5 (28%) |
| Tr. Smith — G | 52 (100%) | — | 5 (28%) |
| P. Mahomes — QB | 52 (100%) | — | — |
| J. Moore — OL | 51 (98%) | — | 5 (28%) |
| X. Worthy — WR | 43 (83%) | — | — |
| T. Kelce — TE | 41 (79%) | — | — |
| R. Rice — WR | 40 (77%) | — | — |
| K. Walker — RB | 38 (73%) | — | — |
| N. Gray — TE | 33 (63%) | — | 6 (33%) |
| T. Thornton — WR | 24 (46%) | — | — |
| E. Johnson — RB | 14 (27%) | — | 9 (50%) |
| J. Royals — WR | 10 (19%) | — | 6 (33%) |
| J. Briningstool — TE | 6 (12%) | — | 9 (50%) |
| B. Smith — RB | 4 (8%) | — | — |
| H. Nourzad — OL | 3 (6%) | — | 5 (28%) |
| M. Caliendo — OL | 3 (6%) | — | 5 (28%) |
| C. Allen — WR | 1 (2%) | — | 1 (6%) |
| J. Ezeudu — OL | 1 (2%) | — | — |
| J. Hicks — DB | — | 73 (100%) | 3 (17%) |
| N. Bolton — LB | — | 73 (100%) | 3 (17%) |
| A. Gilman — S | — | 73 (100%) | 1 (6%) |
| M. Delane — CB | — | 72 (99%) | 1 (6%) |
| N. Williams — DB | — | 68 (93%) | 6 (33%) |
| D. Tranquill — LB | — | 62 (85%) | 3 (17%) |
| G. Karlaftis — DE | — | 58 (79%) | 3 (17%) |
| C. Jones — DT | — | 53 (73%) | — |
| L. Sneed — CB | — | 53 (73%) | — |
| R. Thomas — DE | — | 41 (56%) | — |
| P. Woods — DL | — | 35 (48%) | 3 (17%) |
| A. Gillotte — DE | — | 35 (48%) | 3 (17%) |
| F. Anudike-Uzomah — DE | — | 31 (42%) | — |
| K. Tonga — NT | — | 30 (41%) | 3 (17%) |
| J. Cochrane — LB | — | 18 (25%) | 13 (72%) |
| C. Roland-Wallace — CB | — | 12 (16%) | 10 (56%) |
| J. Bassa — LB | — | 7 (10%) | 12 (67%) |
| B. Eason — DT | — | 7 (10%) | — |
| J. Canady — DB | — | 1 (1%) | 12 (67%) |
| X. Nwankpa — S | — | 1 (1%) | 9 (50%) |
| B. VanSumeren — FB | — | — | 10 (56%) |
| C. Christiansen — LB | — | — | 10 (56%) |
| H. Butker — K | — | — | 10 (56%) |
| J. Winchester — LS | — | — | 6 (33%) |
| M. Araiza — P | — | — | 6 (33%) |
| N. Remigio — WR | — | — | 5 (28%) |
R Mason Thomas stock up, Cyrus Allen stock down
After just 27 snaps in Week 1 and Week 2, it finally feels like Chiefs rookie DE R Mason Thomas is making strides in the defensive end rotation. He logged 41 defensive snaps, second only to George Karlaftis in Week 3. He needs more production to keep climbing in snap totals. Miami did a good job limiting the K.C. pass rush through third-down play-calling (screens, draw plays, etc.).
On the flip side, Chiefs rookie WR Cyrus Allen is going in the wrong direction. He played just one offensive snap in Week 3. Fewer than he played a week ago. It felt like a good week to maybe game plan and get him some more action given the opponent. Perhaps they’ll fully unleash the rookie in Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Maybe it won’t come until after the Week 5 bye week. Either way, it feels like any hype Allen had coming out of training camp has faded.
Mansoor Delane goes the distance in Week 3 return
After missing most of Week 1 with a shoulder injury and being held out in Week 2, the No. 6 overall pick got a LOT of work in Week 3 against the Dolphins. Delane played nearly 100% of the defensive snaps on Sunday, and he didn’t look overmatched. He allowed just five receptions on seven targets for 24 yards, with one pass defended and one forced incomplete pass, per PFF.
“Really, they were just trying to do a lot of slants,” Delane said after the game. “They got me the first quarter, I believe. I feel like I was in a good position, but really just Coach got on me and just told me to be more inside leverage, so just trying to take away the slants.”
No snaps at fullback for Chiefs DT Khyiris Tonga this week
It might not be coincidental that the first time the Chiefs don’t use Khyriris Tonga at fullback, the short-yardage game starts to stall out. Kenneth Walker was tackled for no gain or a loss on multiple occasions in Week 3. Walker was stuffed on back-to-back 3rd-and-1 and 4th-and-1 carries in the second quarter.
This felt more like the Chiefs being conservative than any concerted effort to change or do something different. It was hot in Miami, and having your 330-pound defensive tackle playing both ways seems like a luxury. They did utilize a little more 12 personnel this week. They didn’t utilize a fullback at all, with Ben VanSumeren playing only on special teams. Rest assured that we’ll see more of Tonga at some point.
Quick-hitting Kansas City Chiefs observations
- Brashard Smith got his first offensive snaps of the 2026 NFL season. I feel like the Chiefs are trying to put some creative things on tape to build off of with Smith.
- Bryson Eason was active and played seven defensive snaps in Week 3 vs. the Dolphins. This was about the number of snaps that Marcus Harris played in each of the past two weeks.
- Cole Christiansen played just 10 special teams snaps on Sunday. He was elevated from the practice squad for the second consecutive week. He’s expected to be elevated again in Week 4 against the Raiders.
- Peter Woods saw his snap count rise for the third straight week. It feels like the coaching staff is trusting him more and more.
- Jadon Canady played his first defensive snap in the slot after L’Jarius Sneed came off the field for one snap after an injury timeout.
- Hunter Nourzad and Mike Caliendo had three offensive snaps each as extra blockers. Joshua Ezeudu came in for one snap at right tackle after Jaylon Moore declared eligible. Rules require Moore to come off the field for one play.
