When it comes to underrated players on NFL rosters, the Chiefs have three good ones
The Chiefs’ championship roster features more than its fair share of superstars.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes anchors that a team that produced six Pro Bowlers and four All-Pro selections last season, after all.
But even with elite performers on a Super Bowl-winning team, the Chiefs need a supporting cast of players who are willing to put aside individual statistics for the good of the team.
Doing the dirty work without fanfare is an area in which these three players have excelled and should continue to thrive in 2020.
WR Demarcus Robinson
Meet the perfect example of a player whose worth extends beyond the box score.
Sure, he posted career numbers in 2019 with 32 catches for 449 yard and four touchdowns on 55 targets. And his biggest game statistically came in Week 2, when he had six catches for 172 yards and two touchdowns while Tyreek Hill was out with a shoulder injury.
Robinson, though, is often overlooked in the Chiefs’ receiving corps alongside dynamic pass-catchers Hill, Sammy Watkins and Mecole Hardman. That’s perfectly fine, because Robinson, who returned this offseason on a one-year deal, does everything the Chiefs ask of him ... and the proof lies in numbers not often tracked.
In 2019, Robinson played on more than 60 percent of the Chiefs’ offensive snaps in 10 games, and he made the most of those appearances in other areas.
Need a player to block downfield to help bust open a play? Check; that’s Robinson. What about contributing on special teams? Another check. And if he’s ever needed to step up because of an injury, look no further what he did in Week 2 last fall, filling in for Hill.
Every NFL team needs an unselfish player on the totem pole below the top wideouts, and the Chiefs have their guy in Robinson.
DT Mike Pennel
The true value of Pennel’s arrival last year wasn’t felt until the second half of the season.
Without Pennel, the Chiefs’ run defense allowed a dismal 148.9 yards rushing per game from Weeks 1 to 7. When he became a permanent fixture as part of the interior defensive line rotation from Weeks 13-17 alongside Chris Jones, Derrick Nnadi and Khalen Saunders, the Chiefs allowing a more-respectable average of 95.4 per game.
Pennel’s production in eight games won’t blow away anyone, as he totaled just 24 tackles, a sack and a quarterback hit.
But there’s no debate about his willingness to be the player capable of commanding attention from interior blockers, thus freeing up teammates around him — so much so that Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu categorized Pennel’s arrival as one of the team’s most underrated signings of 2019.
Safety Daniel Sorensen
Chiefs coach Andy Reid affectionately refers to Sorensen as “Dirty Dan” because of his willingness to do the dirty work.
Sorensen provides versatility on the back end of coverage in the Chiefs’ three-safety personnel package with starters Mathieu and Juan Thornhill, and he also possesses the ability to slide inside the box as a linebacker in nickel packages.
Oh, and Sorensen is also one of the team’s core special-teams contributors. Don’t forget it was Sorensen’s clutch special-teams play against the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round that helped energize the Chiefs’ comeback win.
His value on defense really appeared in the Chiefs’ final seven games of the season. Sorensen averaged 50.2 snaps per game and produced 34 tackles, two interceptions, three passes defensed and two quarterback hits.
