Puzzle Pieces: Assessing UDFA’s Fit in the Chiefs Offense – Without fan access to training camp, the hype surrounding Undrafted Free Agents (UDFAs), falls below its normal stratosphere. This leads to more realistic expectations for players the Kansas City Chiefs took a flier on. While UDFAs are almost always imperfect fits, that doesn’t mean they can’t be a piece of the roster puzzle, especially with expanded practice squads. By examining fit in the areas of: Athletic Profile, Team Need, Game Readiness, and Special Teams, fans can begin to get a clearer picture of which players best mesh with the Chiefs requirements. We’ll start with the offense today.
Athletic Profile (3)
After cutting WR Andre Baccellia, the Chiefs don’t have any ideal athletes among their offensive UDFAs. Bacellia had excellent speed, but was very raw, in other areas. Average athletic fits abound among the Chiefs 2020 UDFAs: Maurice Ffrench has adequate speed, but good change of direction ability…. the same is true for Justice Shelton Mosley…. and Offensive Lineman, Yasir Durant, has excellent size, but is a pedestrian athlete, making him just an average fit, for Andy Reid’s Zone Blocking Scheme.
A poor athletic profile limits a players ceiling, but it need not keep them from making the practice squad, or even the roster and WR Kalija Lipscomb is one such player. He’s not exceptionally fast and he’s more fluid than sudden. His size is a plus, but that’s not a trait Chiefs have generally valued. OL Darryl Williams falls below the size threshold, which the Chiefs prefer, and is a pedestrian athlete to boot. With all the hype surrounding him, it’s worth remembering that he’s not a good scheme fit.
Team Need
Need will always play a role in who makes the roster. Talented prospects, like WR Cody Thompson, often miss out on the roster, simply because they play a position where there’s already great depth. Conversely, less polished prospects, at positions of need, often stick around. With two opt outs, on the Offensive Line — LDT and Lucas Niang — Yasir Durant and Daryl Williams fill positions where Chiefs have significant need. Durant offers versatility between Tackle and Guard, making him a good understudy for Mike Remmers. Williams is a smart player with experience at Center, where Austin Reiter was underwhelming last year. His only other competition, at that spot, is Nick Allegretti, a 7th round pick, in 2019. Chiefs offense is mostly stacked, outside of the offensive line, meaning that the rest of Chiefs’ 2020 UDFAs, on offense, fill positions that don’t represent a strong need.
Game Readiness
Potential is great, but there’s no substitute for immediate contribution. If injury or illness strikes, the Chiefs may need to rely on one of their UDFAs to step in, and fill a role. If Kalija Lipscomb can learn the playbook, there’s nothing keeping him off the field. Already a refined route runner, Lipscomb will stay disciplined to his assignment, allowing Andy Reid’s play designs to work their magic. Even better, he’s a quality blocker with good size and physicality. Lipscolm won’t be flashy, but he can step in and do the dirty work in relief of a player like Demarcus Robinson. Another such player is Daryl Williams, whose experience in the SEC and intelligence in identifying games, up front, should allow him to step in at Center in the event of an injury.
Yasir Durant is not a player who should see immediate action, due to some technical issues. He could also stand to lose some bad weight, before he goes up against NFL level competition. That said, if he were pressed into action, he could probably do a passable job. Maurice Ffrench offers some potential, as an immediate contributor, but could stand to improve his consistency. His six dropped passes in 2019 speak to that reality. Still, he separates himself from the rest of the UDFA WRs — aside from Lipscomb — who need substantial work on their route running and releases.
Special Teams
Offensive Linemen need not play Special Teams. Every other UDFA, who hopes to make the roster, better be ready to do so. Shelton-Mosley and Ffrench have a leg up with good production, as college returners. Ffrench also has the size and speed to play gunner. The Chiefs seem to have prioritized the returner position, perhaps with the idea that Mecole Hardman will have a much bigger role in the offense this year. It may not be an immediate need, but we’ve seen that Brett Veach likes to nail things down far in advance, whenever possible.
Kalija Lipscomb should make a great vice (the players who block gunners on punt returns). However, the vice role is not terribly difficult to fill, particularly for a team, like the Chiefs, with a ton of young secondary players. Lipscomb could carve out a role on STs, but he won’t be a Four Phase player. Still, K.C. has dealt with a lot of penalties that wiped out good returns. If Lipscomb can prove that he’s a quality blocker who won’t make mistakes, there’s a path for him to be a valued member of Dave Toub’s unit.
UDFAs on Offense: Summary
Due to need, and game readiness, Daryl Williams probably has the best chance to make the roster for the Chiefs. Players like Maurice French and Yasir Durant have a good chance to continue developing, on the practice squad. Kalija Lipscomb is a talented and polished player, but with Chiefs’ depth, at WR, he’d be hard pressed to make the main roster. With limited utility as a Special Teams player, securing a practice squad spot could prove difficult for him as well, especially with stiff competition from Jody Forston and Marcus Kemp, who already know the ropes. That’s the downside of a great roster, sometimes you have to let good players go. It will certainly be interesting to see how this group fits in… and how it all shakes out.
Ransom Hawthorne — ArrowheadOne
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