Chiefs' coach excited for new players to contribute vs. Chargers
The Kansas City Chiefs will rest quite a few starters during their Week 18 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers with the postseason on the horizon.This will provide a big opportunity for young players and backups to show what they can do in live regular-season action. If the Chiefs like what they see from a […]
The Kansas City Chiefs will rest quite a few starters during their Week 18 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers with the postseason on the horizon.
This will provide a big opportunity for young players and backups to show what they can do in live regular-season action. If the Chiefs like what they see from a certain player, it could factor into how they approach free agency and the draft. Kansas City will have a lot of question marks on the defensive side of the ball this offseason, so it would be encouraging to see some of those guys play well on Sunday.
When defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo spoke to the media on Thursday, he named off a lot of players who he's excited to see get an increased workload this week.
“All of them that don’t normally get in there. What’s going to be the hardest thing is some of these guys are still going to have to play special teams. The guys that have typically been on special teams Jack Cochrane, Cam Jones, those guys have played, Leo (Chenal) will probably play a little bit more. On the back end, Deon Bush, he’s played for us before, he’s been in when guys have gotten hurt. Up front Felix (Anudike-Uzomah), BJ (Thompson) if we get him there, Malik (Herring) if we get him up on the active. I always love watching Derrick (Nnadi) and Turk (Tershawn Wharton) play, Neil (Farrell) will probably be inside there. All those guys I’ll be excited to watch play. During that I’ll be praying nobody gets hurt, that’ll be the thing. It’s a blessing and a curse in my opinion. It’s a blessing to be in this position, it’s just tough navigating wanting to win the game and stop people when you have some different moving parts.”
There are a lot of interesting names mentioned by Spagnuolo. If the Chiefs don't re-sign Drue Tranquill, Jack Cochrane could get an increased role as middle linebacker next season. The same goes for Leo Chenal, who can move around and play all three linebacker spots. A lot of eyes will be on Felix Anudike-Uzomah, who hasn't played much despite being a first-round pick. He could compete for a starting role next season if the Chiefs don't retain Mike Danna.
BJ Thompson and Neil Farrell are two more names to keep an eye on. K.C. selected Thompson in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft this past April and he has yet to be active on game day. He is an athletic pass rusher who has a long frame and is quick to get around the corner against offensive tackles.
Farrell has only played 28 snaps this season since being acquired via trade from the Las Vegas Raiders back in August. He is currently the only defensive tackle that the Chiefs have under contract for the 2024 season. With the uncertainty surrounding Chris Jones' future, a good showing from Farrell would be comforting.
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