Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 1 Snap Count Observations: Khyiris Tonga flexes versatility, Cyrus Allen with few opportunities
What can we learn about the Kansas City Chiefs from their Week 1 snap counts in their win over the Denver Broncos?
The Kansas City Chiefs dominated the Denver Broncos, defeating their AFC West rival 31-10 in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season.
The game gave fans their first real look at the 53-man roster. That includes new contributors such as draft picks and free-agent signings on offense, defense, and special teams. What can we learn about Week 1 snap counts in each phase of the game?
Here’s how the snaps played out in Week 1, followed by some takeaways.
Snap counts via NFL Game Stats Information System.
Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 1 snap counts vs. Denver Broncos
| Player & Position | Offense | Defense | Special Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| C. Humphrey — C | 69 (100%) | — | 5 (18%) |
| K. Benson — T | 69 (100%) | — | 5 (18%) |
| K. Suamataia — OL | 69 (100%) | — | 5 (18%) |
| T. Smith — G | 69 (100%) | — | 5 (18%) |
| P. Mahomes — QB | 69 (100%) | — | — |
| J. Moore — OL | 68 (99%) | — | 5 (18%) |
| R. Rice — WR | 57 (83%) | — | — |
| X. Worthy — WR | 53 (77%) | — | — |
| T. Kelce — TE | 49 (71%) | — | — |
| T. Thornton — WR | 47 (68%) | — | — |
| K. Walker — RB | 47 (68%) | — | — |
| N. Gray — TE | 38 (55%) | — | 16 (57%) |
| E. Johnson — RB | 25 (36%) | — | 6 (21%) |
| J. Briningstool — TE | 13 (19%) | — | 20 (71%) |
| H. Nourzad — OL | 4 (6%) | — | 5 (18%) |
| B. VanSumeren — FB | 3 (4%) | — | 22 (79%) |
| J. Ezeudu — OL | 3 (4%) | — | — |
| M. Caliendo — OL | 1 (1%) | — | 5 (18%) |
| C. Allen — WR | 1 (1%) | — | 4 (14%) |
| J. Fields — QB | 1 (1%) | — | — |
| J. Hicks — DB | — | 51 (100%) | 7 (25%) |
| N. Williams — DB | — | 51 (100%) | 6 (21%) |
| N. Bolton — LB | — | 51 (100%) | 3 (11%) |
| A. Gilman — S | — | 51 (100%) | 1 (4%) |
| D. Tranquill — LB | — | 50 (98%) | 3 (11%) |
| K. Fulton — CB | — | 47 (92%) | 15 (54%) |
| L. Sneed — CB | — | 46 (90%) | 1 (4%) |
| G. Karlaftis — DE | — | 44 (86%) | 3 (11%) |
| P. Woods — DL | — | 29 (57%) | 3 (11%) |
| F. Anudike-Uzomah — DE | — | 28 (55%) | — |
| R. Thomas — DE | — | 27 (53%) | 7 (25%) |
| C. Jones — DT | — | 26 (51%) | — |
| A. Gillotte — DE | — | 14 (27%) | 3 (11%) |
| C. Roland-Wallace — CB | — | 8 (16%) | 20 (71%) |
| J. Cochrane — LB | — | 5 (10%) | 23 (82%) |
| M. Harris — DT | — | 5 (10%) | — |
| J. Bassa — LB | — | 3 (6%) | 20 (71%) |
| M. Delane — CB | — | 3 (6%) | — |
| K. Tonga — NT | 4 (6%) | 22 (43%) | 3 (11%) |
| J. Royals — WR | — | — | 15 (54%) |
| X. Nwankpa — S | — | — | 15 (54%) |
| J. Canady — DB | — | — | 11 (39%) |
| H. Butker — K | — | — | 11 (39%) |
| J. Winchester — LS | — | — | 10 (36%) |
| M. Araiza — P | — | — | 10 (36%) |
| N. Remigio — WR | — | — | 10 (36%) |
| B. Smith — RB | — | — | 3 (11%) |
| C. McDonald — LB | — | — | 2 (7%) |
Khyiris Tonga might be the Kansas City Chiefs’ most versatile player
Only one player got action in all three phases of the game on Monday night: Chiefs DT Khyiris Tonga. He was used as a fullback on offense, just like we predicted. This shouldn’t come as a big surprise, given how he was used with the New England Patriots a season ago. Kenneth Walker spoke a bit about Tonga after the game.
“Me and (Khyiris) Tonga, we always talk. I’m saying that’s one of my best friends on the team. Really, you know, he knows my dad and everything. Having everybody come in there, like the bigs, they just make big holes. You just run through them, and you know, they make our job a lot easier.”
Tonga also played nearly 50% of the team’s snaps on defense, and played on special teams. That’s quite a Week 1 contribution from the 2026 free-agent signing.
Kenneth Walker is the bell-cow running back
Speaking of Walker, it was clear from the jump that he’s the bell-cow running back. He played 68% of the offensive snaps on Monday night. The last time the Chiefs had a running back play that many snaps in a single game was 2024, when Isiah Pacheco played 43 snaps against the Baltimore Ravens.
Andy Reid has traditionally platooned running backs, but Walker only came off the field when he needed a breather. Walker logged 23 carries for 173 rushing yards, three catches for 18 yards, and scored two total touchdowns in 47 snaps. Emmett Johnson filled in for him nicely when he wasn’t on the field, notching 68 scrimmage yards on just 25 offensive snaps.
Cyrus Allen target on his lone offensive snap; needs more opportunities
Cyrus Allen had a lot of hype coming out of training camp and the preseason. Unfortunately, it seems that the rookie has yet to earn the full trust of the coaching staff. They did go to him in a high-leverage situation, but it was very modest compared to some other rookie contributions.
The team had virtually no receiver rotation, despite having six receivers on the 53-man roster and active on game day. Rashee Rice (83%), Xavier Worthy (77%), and Tyquan Thornton (68%) played most of the snaps on offense. Cyrus Allen was the only other receiver to get a snap on offense, literally a single snap. He was targeted on said snap, a third-down play against man coverage. Unfortunately, the ball got tipped at the line of scrimmage and didn’t get to the rookie. It feels like Allen just needs more opportunities.
Defensive line rotation looks like a positive development
Over the last few seasons, the Chiefs didn’t have enough rotation on the interior defensive line and at the edge rusher positions. This season, that’s not a problem for Kansas City. No defensive lineman played more than 86% of the defensive snaps on Monday. Four of them played over 50% of defensive snaps: Chris Jones, Peter Woods, R Mason Thomas, and Felix Anudike-Uzomah. The best part? They all produced despite the snap rotation between them.
The mainstays on defense for Kansas City
Steve Spagnuolo often has mainstays who play every single snap on defense. In Week 1, he had four players that played 100% of the defensive snaps (51). Nohl Williams, Jaden Hicks, Alohi Gilman, and Nick Bolton never left the field for the Chiefs’ defense. That was good news for Williams, who wasn’t listed as a starter on the Week 1 depth chart. It’s also good news for Hicks, who filled in for injured S Chamarri Conner on Monday.
Special teams-only snaps for six players
Jalen Royals, Nikko Remigio, Xavier Nwankpa, Jadon Canady, Cooper McDonald, and Brashard Smith are the players who only had special teams snaps. At least among the non-specialists. McDonald didn’t have much opportunity because of an early-game knee injury.
