Five things that stood out about the Chiefs’ loss to the Bears in preseason finale
On one side: Chris Oladokun. Ian Book.
On the other: Tyson Bagent. Brett Rypien.
Sounds like preseason football, right?
A mismatch, as it turns out.
The Bears crushed the Chiefs 34-21 in the two teams’ preseason finales Thursday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Both teams sat their actual starters, and the Chiefs even rested a lot of the second-stringers, too. That meant no Patrick Mahomes on Thursday night, and no rookie Caleb Williams either.
Plenty of teammates joined them on the sideline. What should we make of the absences? That’s covered in the observations from immediately after the game.
Before I get to those, though, take a moment for Douglas Coleman III, a Bears cornerback who left the game on a stretcher in the back of a cart as the entire Bears sideline walked across the field. It was a scary situation, and nothing forthcoming overshadows that. In fact, it puts it all in proper perspective.
The Bears had yet to provide an update on Coleman as of the game’s conclusion.
The observations:
1. The cornerback conundrum.
For one night, the Chiefs turned their backups into starters.
Except one.
Jaylen Watson, the leader in the clubhouse for the No. 2 cornerback job opposite Trent McDuffie, made his preseason debut after missing a portion of training camp recovering from shoulder surgery.
Wasn’t pretty.
That position hasn’t been pretty for a lot of the preseason.
Watson bit on a play-fake on the opening drive, and Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent went over the top for a 44-yard completion. Third-stringer quarterback Brett Rypien later beat him for a go route along the sideline.
It was a long night.
The No. 2 cornerback position was among the top questions for the Chiefs heading into training camp. They’ll exit the preseason every bit as concerned with it as when they arrived.
2. Carson Steele: RB2
An undrafted free agent from UCLA — after a two-year stint at Ball State — has been the best story in St. Joseph.
It’s five days from becoming an even better story in Kansas City.
Carson Steele has cemented his spot on the initial 53-man roster ahead of the cuts on Tuesday afternoon. Fact is, he cemented that before he bowled over and stiff-armed through defenders for a 31-yard run against the Bears ... which set up his own 1-yard touchdown.
More than a spot, he’s fighting now for increased playing time. He is the second best running back on the team, and it’s not particularly close.
He’s earned some other roles, too.
3. The Chiefs players who sat
What should we take from the players who didn’t play — or those who hardly played?
Don’t overthink it: They’re overwhelmingly more likely than not to be part of the initial 53.
For head coach Andy Reid, the final game of the preseason has always been about evaluation. He sits the players he no longer needs to evaluate.
That includes running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. That includes wide receiver Skyy Moore.
But it also means four clear-cut starters concluded the preseason without a single snap: Chris Jones, Justin Reid, Joe Thuney and Nick Bolton.
4. So, what about Clyde Edwards-Helaire?
If the aforementioned history is indeed the accurate indication, then Edwards-Helaire is not just on the right side of the bubble — he’s not really on the bubble at all.
Frankly, it’s been hard to tell where he slots into the depth chart because he’s missed a lot of time, particularly recently. He bravely shared with the media during training camp that he experiences post-traumatic stress disorder, which stems from a shooting in which he was involved at LSU, among other events, he said.
But he hasn’t done much of anything this preseason. His availability has been — and apparently will continue to be — a constant question.
So why does his spot seem safe?
Experience.
This is the (only?) logical case: Isiah Pacheco tops the Chiefs’ running back depth chart, and he runs violently at times. In case of injury, the Chiefs are weary of heading into a game with only Steele and Deneric Prince — undrafted free agent pickups who have combined for zero NFL carries.
Edwards-Helaire, by contrast, is entering his fifth season — and it would appear yet one more with KC.
5. Kickoff return
The adjustment of the kickoff rules has forced teams to change their strategy on how to best return the football.
It ought to change their personnel too.
Steele is far from the fastest option the Chiefs have, but he might already be one of their two best.
At running back.
And at kick return.
The days of setting up an elaborate sideline return — asking the player to cover a lot of ground — are gone, which de-emphasizes speed, relatively speaking.
It emphasizes, instead, finding a crease and hitting it. And that essentially describes Steele’s preferred running style.
An effective style this preseason, by the way.
This story was originally published August 22, 2024 at 10:34 PM.