Who (and what) I'm watching in Chiefs Preseason Game 1
Who (and what) I'm watching in Chiefs Preseason Game 1
Examining the players I'll be looking for, what I'll be looking at from said players, and a reminder about what does and doesn't matter in preseason.
In just one more day, the Chiefs’ 2024 preseason will kick off as they face the Jacksonville Jaguars at 6 PM Arrowhead Time.
The first preseason game is, even more so than training camp, an absolutely magical time. It’s our first glimpse at a brand new roster in action, even if only in brief glimpses (one of my favorite long-running bits is Andy Reid saying the starters will play a whole quarter only to usually sit them after one drive or MAYBE two at most). It fills us all with the feeling that football is really, actually BACK. It’s the first opportunity to see players face off against opponents in live action. And of course, it’s our first chance to have game tape on newcomers and returning players.
And there are a LOT of players Chiefs fans are dying to see in a real(ish) game, ranging from rookies to new arrivals to developing players we’re all hoping will take a step forward. There are position battles to watch and player usage to break down. It is, indeed, a wonderful time of the year.
I’ve written previously in detail about what does and does not matter when watching preseason games. So I won’t get bogged down in the details of that, as I feel like I can only warn readers about traps to avoid so many times. I’ll simply re-state that when we’re looking at games where scheming is at a relative minimum, it’s our best chance to see how players perform in 1x1 matchups and what they look like in terms of traits when the live action starts. Here’s a quick hitter of the most important things to remember when watching preseason games:
Look for player traits rather than play results (for example, a WR catching a wide open TD pass on a busted coverage doesn’t tell you anything about said player).
Watch the 1x1 battles that you can (in the trenches, man coverage looks, etc), but try to be aware of who the competition is in those 1x1’s.
See if what a player did well in college translates at the NFL level (speed, strength, refined technique, etc).
If you want the full breakdown of why those things matter much more than the result of a given play, read the full article! For today, though, I want to talk about what players I’ll be watching most closely and what I’ll be watching for. Then, next week, I’ll break down what I saw (probably starting with the trenches since all-22 doesn’t come out until a day or two later) as it relates to the players I’m talking about today (and maybe others, depending on what the game brings) A lot of them will be familiar to you from when I wrote about what players I’d be watching when the pads came on in training camp.
It’s worth noting that in the first week of preseason action, it’s unlikely that veterans get a ton of run. Which means guys I’m very interested in seeing development (George Karlaftis, to see if he’s reached DUDE status) or role (Hollywood Brown) are just not likely to see enough reps for me to gauge much from.
With that in mind let’s get to the who, and the what, I’ll be looking at most carefully on Saturday as things get real, starting with the only two real position battles on the roster. The “who” will be the player, followed by what exactly I’ll be looking for (this feels like an over-explanation, but I am who I am).
Who - Kingsley Suamataia
What - Can the rookie hold up in pass protection enough to hang onto his lead?
My friend Nate Taylor with Only Weird Games has made clear that Suamataia is soundly in first place in the competition for left tackle, going so far as to basically say that it’s not a competition anymore. That makes him perhaps the most interesting player on the field on Saturday evening.
I liked the rookie tackle’s college tape when I reviewed it following the draft (you can find that piece here if you’re so inclined). He’s got excellent size and length, but also has good movement skills for a bigger tackle. His feet have been noticeable in camp for the right reasons, particularly as a run blocker but as a blocker blocker too.
There are a few things to watch with Kingsley. The first will be consistency with his hand placement and whether or not he keeps his head over his feet in pass protection as opposed to lunging/leaning forward to initiate contact. In college, his hands were part of the reason he wasn’t an elite player as they were hit or miss. I also am curious to see whether or not his blend of upper and lower body power translate to this level. One never knows until the snaps become “real,” and this will be our first look at how he does against NFL-caliber opposition.
Kinsley will likely be the first player I review (barring some surprise) given the fact that we can see the trenches prior to all-22 coming out. How he performs in 2024 will be a major subplot to the floor/ceiling conversation for the offense given that the rest of the OL is set around him. If he can even be close to average to start out, that’s a huge win for the Chiefs this year and moving forward. So basically, can he go out there and be “not bad” in his very first NFL action?
Who - Xavier Worthy
What - How do the speedster’s traits translate… and what sort of treatment does he get from Andy?
We’ve talked about Worthy multiple times during our training camp (over)reactions, looking at terrific snaps and one particular bad one. He was also a primary point of discussion when I wrote about how the Chiefs are very clearly trying to bring back the deep ball in 2024. Everyone knows that he’s one of the major x-factors for Kansas City’s offense this season.
That said, I’m not just watching for him on Saturday in terms of what he does on the field. I’m also watching for what sort of treatment Andy Reid gives the rookie in terms of usage.