The Kansas City Chiefs host the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday afternoon in the first preseason game on the schedule. There are plenty of things to look for. Here are a few things I’m looking for:
Tyreek the freak
WR Tyreek Hill is the story of training camp. If his speed and explosiveness translates to real games then the Chiefs have themselves an awesome fifth round pick. But what if it doesn’t? What if he’s more like Dexter McCluster and De’Anthony Thomas, who couldn’t consistently break tackles? We shall find out.
A long wait for Tyler Bray
It’s been two years since Bray played in a game. He is listed second on the depth chart but in reality it looks like he’s third behind Alex Smith and Nick Foles. The Chiefs seem to like Bray so I wouldn’t be surprised if they found a way to keep him. Good test against a deep Seattle team. He should have some decent options to throw to with a deeper receiver group in KC.
The pass rush without Justin Houston and Tamba Hali
The Chiefs will likely have Tamba at the start of the season but they won’t have Houston. Will Dee Ford take a step forward? Will the Chiefs send more blitzes up the middle without Houston and Hali? Who steps up? This is probably the No. 1 concern for this team right now.
The defensive line. All of ‘em
This is the strength of the team. The Chiefs have three solid starters in Allen Bailey, Dontari Poe and Jaye Howard. Chris Jones is coming along and so is Rakeem Nunez-Roches. What do the subpackages look like? Where does Jones sub in? Can any of them generate a pass rush?
Potential trade bait
The Chiefs are potential trade chips at quarterback, running back and tight end. They should showcase some of these players. Tyler Bray has no experience so it’s questionable how much trade value he has. Knile Davis has been mentioned in trade rumors. Ross Travis and James O’Shaughnessy may be battling for one spot. The Chiefs are a deep team. Andy Reid and John Dorsey know how to get value. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a trade in the next few weeks.
Who’s up after Jeremy Maclin?
Maclin is the one sure thing the Chiefs have on the roster at receiver. However, they do have some promising pieces too. Albert Wilson has been seeing more time in the slot and Chris Conley has had a good training camp. They both worked out with Maclin this summer. Rod Streater is another name to watch as is rookie Demarcus Robinson, who is probably a little further behind than the others named here. The Chiefs have some interesting receivers.