Jason Brownlee’s improbable roster push and 4 more things to watch in Chiefs’ Week 2 preseason matchup vs. Seahawks
Our 5 things to watch in the Chiefs’ Week 2 preseason matchup vs. Seahawks.
With training camp now in the rearview mirror, the Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2 of the preseason on Friday night.
We may not see very many starters playing in this matchup due to injuries and a few positional depth battles that need ironed out. There are plenty of things still to work on, and open roster spots to be had. Here our are top five things to watch for during the Chiefs’ exhibition matchup against the Seahawks.
WR Jason Brownlee making his push for Chiefs’ 53-man roster
Brownlee was on nobody’s radar before camp to be in the mix for a 53-man roster spot. Fast forward a few weeks later and he is making things tough on the Chiefs brass. Brownlee has had an impressive camp, and carried that momentum into last week’s preseason game by catching a touchdown pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
He still faces a bit of an uphill battle to survive cuts later this month, but an impressive showing on Friday night would make things very interesting. Brownlee should get plenty of playing time with Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown likely sitting out.
CB Joshua Williams’ days could be numbered
Williams hasn’t progressed over the last couple of years, and young guys like Chris Roland-Wallace, Nohl Williams, and Kevin Knowles have stepped up. Williams was playing late into the fourth quarter of last week’s game, which isn’t a great sign for a player who’s entering his fourth year in the system.
If Williams is going to stick around, he’ll need to finish the preseason strong. Otherwise, it’s in the best interest for both the Chiefs and Williams to stop spinning their wheels and move on. If Kristian Fulton isn’t healthy to begin the regular season, that could keep Williams around.
Clean up the penalties
Penalties were a major issue for the Chiefs last week, as they committed 11 for 113 yards. Winning the game isn’t the ultimate goal in preseason, but racking up flags isn’t going to put players who are trying to earn a roster spot in position to succeed.
K.C. was the fourth-least penalized team in the league in 2024, so hopefully last weeks’ game was an anomaly.
Getting pressure on the QB
The Chiefs’ defense recorded just one sack in last week’s game, by way of defensive tackle Janarius Robinson. You’d like to see that increase this week, especially since K.C. dipped from second in the league in sacks in 2023 to 16th in 2024.
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo isn’t likely to dial up anything too exotic during preseason, but it would be encouraging to see guys win one-on-one matchups. Keep an eye on DT Omarr Norman-Lott, who surprisingly played mostly 1-technique last week.
RB Brashard Smith’s continued development
There was a lot of anticipation for Smith’s debut last week, but he couldn’t get going as he recorded four carries for just 10 yards and one reception for -6 yards. Smith also received a bit of criticism from special teams coordinator Dave Toub for calling a fair catch while fielding a punt instead of returning it.
It appears that Kareem Hunt won’t be available to play this week, which could give Smith more snaps. Dialing something up for him in space to see what he can do in a game situation would be beneficial for his development. Toub also stated that he wants to continue to give Smith as many reps as a return specialist as possible.
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