Here are Chiefs players that Dave Toub expects to contribute on special teams
Charles Goldman
The Kansas City Chiefs are going through a bit of a special teams renaissance this offseason.
Four of the team’s top five players in terms of total special teams snaps from last season are no longer on the team. From return specialists, to punt and kick coverage units, Chiefs assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Dave Toub is having to rebuild practically from scratch.
“There are holes everywhere,” Toub told reporters on Tuesday. “It’s going to be a complete reset. It’s going to be tough. Really for us, it’s hard to tell what a guy can do in practice. It’s really the games. The Bears game is going to be huge for us. The Washington game is going to be huge for us. We’re probably going to be making decisions all the way up until the Green Bay game.”
Toub has always held a lot of control over the bottom of the 53-man roster in Kansas City. If you’re a player on the roster bubble and Toub has identified you as a potential contributor on special teams, your chances of making the team go up significantly.
With that in mind, here is a look at some of the players that Toub mentioned as potential contributors during his Tuesday press conference:
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Dave Toub essentially named Isiah Pacheco the team’s starting kick returner, at least for the time being. He’ll get the nod during the first preseason game against the Chicago Bears and if he shows out, he’ll have a chance to keep that job.
“(Isiah Pacheco) is going to be the guy on kickoff returns,” Toub said. “We’re going to work (Trent) McDuffie in and Skyy (Moore). We need to get someone else doing it because if Mecole’s getting a lot of reps, as much as Tyreek (Hill) did, we’ve got to cut him back a little bit.”
Right now, Toub is looking everywhere for help in the return game, even in some of the team’s top draft picks. With Mecole Hardman primed for a bigger role on offense, they really need a player like Pacheco to step up and earn the kick returner job.
AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann
A rookie defender and a first-year Chief were also mentioned by Toub as potential contributors on special teams. Bryan Cook is someone who has excelled as a cover guy in practice thus far.
“(Bryan) Cook is doing a good job as a cover guy,” Toub said. “(Justin) Watson, he’s not a rookie, but he’s a guy that could probably take Marcus Kemp’s (job). . . Watson is a guy who could take Kemp’s spot in a lot of things and he’s doing well on offense, which is important.”
Marcus Kemp played the second-most special teams snaps in Kansas City last season. Hearing that Watson is competing for that job and that he’s also doing well on the offensive side of the ball (as we noted in our takeaways from Monday), it’s a safe bet to go ahead and pencil him in for your 53-man roster projections.
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Two of the main holdovers from last season on special teams are Fountain and Gray. The latter played the fourth-most special teams snaps last season as a rookie and will be looked upon to take up an even bigger role in his second year.
“(Daurice) Fountain is a guy that we’re going to rely on,” Toub said. “Like him and (Noah) Gray, these are carryover guys. Gray was a four-phase guy for us (last season), so we’re counting on him to be a guy for sure. He’s doing outstanding. Then Fountain . . . he’s a guy that played a lot of downs for us. He’s in the mix too as well.”
As for Fountain, he’s someone who was added to the 53-man roster late in the season in place of Josh Gordon due to his ability on special teams. Toub says special teams will again play a big role in who does and doesn’t make the team at that position.
“There’s a battle (at receiver) and it’s going to come down to special teams,” Toub said.
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Bush was a player that the Chiefs brought in specifically because of his success as a special teamer. Right now, Toub says he’s vying for the spot previously occupied by Armani Watts, who played over 65% of the team’s special teams snaps last season.
“(Armani) Watts, one of the guys that can replace Watts is (Deon) Bush,” Toub said. “Bush is a guy that’s in there for that.”
Toub also mentioned that Cook could be in play for the role vacated by Watts.
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
No player played more special teams snaps in 2021 than LB Dorian O’Daniel. It seems like the new player wearing No. 44, Elijah Lee has the inside track to take O’Daniel’s role.
“Elijah Lee is doing outstanding,” Toub said on Tuesday. “He’s a guy that has veteran experience on special teams. I’m counting on him. Hands down.”
Lee has also been working in with the starting base defense during training camp thus far.
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Ben Niemann played nearly 65% of the special teams snaps for Kansas City last season. A free agent linebacker signed by the Chiefs this offseason is vying for Niemann’s role on the defense according to Toub.
“Carter, the linebacker, he’s a guy that — he’s not a rookie, but he’s a guy that might take Niemann’s spot,” Toub said.
Carter has been playing some middle and outside linebacker with the second-team defense thus far, but special teams could be his ticket to making the 53-man roster.
