Six players to watch in Kansas City Chiefs’ preseason finale against Minnesota Vikings
The Chiefs’ preseason finale against the Minnesota Vikings Friday night is about much more than the final score.
Sure, the team wouldn’t mind finishing its exhibition slate undefeated ahead of the regular season. But the month of August isn’t about the win-loss column.
Instead, training camp and the three preseason games are collectively part of the evaluation process coaches use to help establish the initial 53-player roster for the regular season.
“There are a few spots that we’ve got to look at,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said.
Coming off two straight Super Bowl appearances, the Chiefs don’t have a lot of holes. They have established starters. A lot of needs, including revamping the offensive line, were filled during free agency and through the draft.
Once the starters exit the game Friday night, the backups jockeying for position must use any playing opportunity to stand out, whether in their natural position or on special teams.
The Chiefs must trim their roster from 80 to 53 by the NFL’s deadline of Tuesday at 3 p.m. Central Time.
“We’ve got to make some decisions in certain areas, and maybe we keep a guy here or there that we normally wouldn’t keep at a position and have a little bit of an overload because he’s been a good player,” Reid said. “This game will help us sort it out, but it’s just part of it.”
Here are a group of players who need a good showing Friday night in order to stick:
WR DAURICE FOUNTAIN
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Fountain started coming on late in training camp with head-turning plays during padded team drills. That carried over to the Chiefs’ first two exhibition games: He’s totaled seven catches for 92 yards on nine targets.
It’s no secret the Chiefs are deep at wide receiver with Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle projecting as the top four. Marcus Kemp has a clear path to the fifth slot because of his special teams prowess.
Make no mistake: Fountain has a tough task ahead. But his talent is clear and the Chiefs must decide if they will make him the sixth wideout on their roster.
TE JODY FORTSON
Fortson packed an additional 20 pounds of muscle onto his 6-foot-6 frame during the offseason to aid his transition from wide receiver to tight end.
From exceptional catches in training camp to a one-handed grab in the Chiefs’ preseason opener and showcasing his blocking skills in their second one, Fortson has done his part to show he belongs on offense and special teams — where he has drawn praise from coordinator Dave Toub.
The Chiefs have a tough decision at tight end because the top three project as Travis Kelce, Blake Bell and rookie Noah Gray. But keeping four tight ends isn’t out of the question, especially given Fortson’s showing in the past month.
WR CORNELL POWELL
The Chiefs used a fifth-round pick on Powell with hopes the former Clemson Tiger could help fill the role vacated by Sammy Watkins, who signed with the Baltimore Ravens during free agency.
Powell has worked mostly with the third-team offense since the pads came on in training camp and hasn’t really distinguished himself in a limited number of preseason snaps, totaling just three catches for 26 yards on four targets.
It’s normally a given that a draft pick will make it through these roster cuts, but Powell might not be a sure thing if he doesn’t produce against the Vikings.
RB DARWIN THOMPSON
Starters Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Darrel Williams suffered injuries early in last week’s game against the Cardinals, and Thompson took advantage with 49 yards rushing on eight carries.
The Chiefs signed versatile Jerick McKinnon during the offseason and he’s a virtual lock as the No. 3 running back. In this numbers game, Thompson can make a solid case with another good showing.
DE DEMONE HARRIS
The recent release of Taco Charlton opens the door for players like Harris and Tim Ward to make a push for inclusions on the Chiefs’ initial 53-player roster.
The Chiefs need depth at defensive end around Frank Clark and Chris Jones, who’ll line up on the edge more this season. Backup options include Mike Danna, Alex Okafor and rookie Joshua Kaindoh, but Harris makes sense, too.
Keep in mind that the Chiefs plucked Harris from the Ravens’ practice squad in 2019 and he’s rotated between their active roster and practice squad for two seasons. He knows the Chiefs’ defensive scheme.
DB DEVON KEY
The undrafted rookie safety turned heads early in training camp with the first-team unit, but then the preseason games happened.
In the preseason opener, Key was victimized by a double move, a no-no on the back end of coverage. That play resulted in an 80-yard touchdown for the San Francisco 49ers. Last week, he was beaten down the right sideline on a 20-yard touchdown play against the Cardinals.
The Chiefs appeared to favor safety Zayne Anderson near the end of training camp, and Anderson’s rotational reps came at Key’s expense. Key needs a rebound performance Friday if he hopes to crack the 53-player roster.
