De’Anthony Thomas can make a big impact on the Kansas City Chiefs special teams even without kick returns. While he is indeed the Chiefs kick returner he’s making an impact on the other side, too.
“We had a return, they got a 39-yarder on us,” Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub said this week. “That thing goes for a touchdown if No. 13 is not there. To come all the way from the backside and make that play. He has a nose for the football. He told me before the season started ‘I am going to make all of the tackles on kickoff.’ You love guys like that.”
You don’t look at a smaller player like DAT and think they’re the toughest player on the field but Toub again said that he is pound for pound their toughest player.
I really applaud the Chiefs for making this work. I go back to the 2015 season when DAT was mysteriously benched late in the year and you just thought this wasn’t going to work out. He didn’t play much on offense last year. There were plenty of predictions that his Chiefs career would be over. And then it wasn’t. He stayed and continues to be a productive player on special teams. Because of that work on special teams, I expect him to make the 53-man roster this year.