2018 Kansas City Chiefs:
Special Team’s Strengths & Weaknesses
· by Paul Pulley
The Special Teams consists of three specialist and the rest of the squads are made up of position players, most of which are reserves: the specialists are the Kicker (or Placekicker)- Harrison Butker, the Punter– Dustin Colquitt, and the Long-snapper– James Winchester.
Other important positions unique to special teams include:
- The Holder, who’s job it is to catch the ball from the long snapper and get the ball placed properly and quickly for the kicker on field goals and PATs.
- The Punt Returner is usually a wide receiver or cornerback, a player able to track the ball well and has good hands. He also needs to be fast and elusive to avoid tacklers.
- The Kick Returner can be the same player as the punt returner, needs to be fast with good vision to see running lanes forming and needs to run without hesitation.
- The Gunners are players on punt and kickoff teams that lineup outside and try to get down the field fast to tackle the returner.
- The Jammers are players on the return teams who’s job is to slow down the gunners to allow the returners more time and space to work.
- The Upback is a player on the punting team that usually lines up 3-4 yards behind the line of scrimmage. He is mostly the last line of defense for the punter but will sometimes receive the snap directly on fake punts.
Harrison Butker, was signed off of the Carolina Panthers practice squad by GM Veach early last season to replace an injured Cairo Santos. In 13 games, Butker made 38 out of 42 field goals and hit all 28 of his PAT attempts, scoring 142 points for the Chiefs. Santos made 3 field goals and 12 extra points in the first three games, so the kickers scored a total of 163 points last year.
Dustin Colquitt is the oldest and longest tenured Chief on the team. Drafted in the third round of 2005, Colquitt has consistently been one of the top punters in the league since, and entering his 14th season will most likely continue to do so. In 2017, Colquitt punted 65 times for a 45.2 yard average, placing 29 kicks inside the 20 while giving up only 5 touchbacks and forcing 22 fair catches. Also Colquitt’s secondary role on special teams as holder for field goals and PATs should not go overlooked.
James Winchester will be entering his 4th season as a Chief. He signed a 5 year extension last year so he could be with the Chiefs through 2021. Winchester has done a very good job for Kansas City as errant snaps have been at a minimum and he has made several special teams tackles as well as forcing a fumble and recovering a muffed punt.
Tyreek Hill has been one of the NFL’s premier punt returners the past two years. With his expanded role as a wide receiver, the Chiefs may decide to give some of those duties to another player with a less prominent role. However, I believe if a spark is needed or the outcome of a game is in jeopardy, the coaching staff won’t hesitate to put Hill in for a punt return.
While I believe Hill is one of the best punt returners in the game, I don’t think he is as good at returning kicks. I also don’t think the Chiefs want to use him as the KR to reduce his chances of sustaining an injury. I think the kick returning job for the Chiefs will be up for grabs headed into training camp. There will be several young receivers, defensive backs and running backs that could end up winning this role. I wouldn’t be surprised if 6th round draft pick Tremon Smith is a front runner for kick returner and/or punt returner.
Although Demarcus Robinson and Jehu Chesson were two of the Chiefs best gunners last year. I don’t see any need to try to put names to the gunners, jammers or the unpack at this time. These positions will likely remain fluid throughout training camp and the pre-season and may not become solidified until final roster cuts September 1st. Dorian O’Daniel was reportedly one of — if not the — best Special Teams player in the NFL draft this year, so look for him to get a lot of reps there.
The Chiefs special teams, under ST coordinator Dave Toub, have been some of the best special teams units in the NFL for the past five years and I would expect them to continue to be very good this year.
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