Chiefs' answer at return specialist can be found on their practice squad
The Kansas City Chiefs are back at square one for the return specialist position after WR Richie James suffered an MCL injury in Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season. He was the team's starter at both punt and kick return specialist. Now, Dave Toub is tasked with finding another option. Toub suggested on Thursday […]
The Kansas City Chiefs are back at square one for the return specialist position after WR Richie James suffered an MCL injury in Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season. He was the team's starter at both punt and kick return specialist. Now, Dave Toub is tasked with finding another option.
Toub suggested on Thursday that the team might use a committee approach, particularly mentioning Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney, Justin Watson, and Rashee Rice as players in whom he has confidence. However, when describing what he's looking for in a return man, things don't exactly match up.
“NFL experience, preferably," Toub said. "There’s a big difference between college and NFL catching punts and kickoffs and guys coming down the field, the type of ball, hang times and different stuff you’re going to get. I’d rather have a guy that’s done it in a game, so he has that experience. We have guys who have done it and done it at a high level, so we’ll be okay. We just need 17 (Richie James) to get back healthy again.”
Well, Toney is dealing with a toe sprain and suffered a knee injury on a punt return in practice during training camp.
Moore has 14 career punt returns under his belt and three career kick returns. We know that he struggled with punts throughout the majority of the 2022 NFL season, though he captured some redemption in Super Bowl LVII.
Watson has even fewer career punt and kick returns than Moore.
Rice has never actually done it in an NFL game.
So where should the Chiefs turn? The answer to their dilemma, both punt and kick returner, is on the practice squad.
Montrell Washington, who the Chiefs signed away from the Broncos after 53-man roster cuts, spent the entirety of the 2022 NFL season playing that role for Denver. He actually is the most experienced player when it comes to NFL-level punt and kick returns.
Washington had 32 punt returns for 271 yards and 18 kick returns for 340 yards last season. That's good for the 11th-most punt return yards and 28th-most kick return yards in the NFL last season. His 30-yard punt return against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4 was the 11th-longest in the league last season. Now, he's been on the bad side of the return specialist job too, with a costly muffed punt in overtime against the Los Angeles Chargers. A teammate was blocked into him and he didn't call for the fair catch attempt.
Good and bad, the experience is there, and Washington was quite successful as a return specialist as a rookie on what was a really bad football team in Denver. Just imagine what he can do with Toub's coaching and the Chiefs' talent on his side.
Chiefs injury report: 2 players to return to practice on Thursday
The Kansas City Chiefs saw two players return to practice, but they could be without their starting MIKE linebacker for Week 3.
Featured image via Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
