The wheels keep on turning in Chiefs Kingdom, even on the weekend of their 2017 season opener. General Manager Brett Veach and Andy Reid have promoted a young scat-back in Akeem Hunt, no relation to Kareem Hunt. This Hunt is listed as both a running back and a kickoff returner. He catches the ball well out of the backfield however, he is likely destined to spend his days as a Chiefs player taking De’Anthony Thomas’ (DAT) place returning kicks. They must have seen something they liked in practice to move him up and release C.J. Spiller.
Akeem Hunt is from Purdue and was signed by the N.Y. Giants in 2015 as an undrafted free agent. Hunt played tag with the Texans practice squad for two years in 2015 and 2016, twice on and twice off, and was quickly signed by the Chiefs to their practice squad Sept 5. He is 5-foot-10 inches tall and weighs 190 lbs but both of those figures may be a tiny bit generous.
According to NFL.com. Akeem Hunt has run a 4.36- 40-yard dash and has a vertical leap of 37 inches. The picture above is a blurry screen capture of Akeem Hunt lowering his head during a kickoff return, a practice reminiscent of the Chiefs new rookie RB, Kareem Hunt. The skill I like best in Akeem is his shiftiness… which he appears able to execute without losing any speed going forward.
Akeem Hunt played for Purdue for four seasons but his Sophomore and Junior seasons were his best. During those two seasons his kickoff return average was 23.6 yards per kick return and those two seasons the Boilermakers went 7-17. So, being able to average those numbers on a bad team says more than if he played for a National Champion.
C.J. Spiller is Probably Gone for the Last Time
To make room on the roster, the Chiefs cut C.J. Spiller. This marks the 3rd time he’s been cut in the past 15 days. It likely is the last time we’ll see Spiller, unless someone gets hurt… knock on Oak. That’s because the other times Spiller was cut, he was released for a player at another position. With Brett Veach taking the younger running back, the move likely indicates a commitment to Akeem Hunt based on the hope he survives in the NFL on the 53 man roster.
So, why elevate Akeem Hunt? Especially when C.J. Spiller has had months to learn Andy Reid’s difficult offense.
The simple answer is… to preserve DAT. Huh? Why preserve DAT?
The plan for DAT has been years in the making and they finally found someone who could do what they hoped DAT could do for them originally: Tyreek Hill. Since Hill has become everything they’d hoped he be, they’ve gotten greedy and want both DAT and Hill to be a regular part of the offense. Don’t forget, 2 and 3 years ago, teams would go into their Chinese Fire Drill Mode every time DAT lined up in motion or in the backfield. His quickness still causes teams problems. Thus, someone to replace DAT in the kicking game was needed. Well then why not Spiller? Yes, Spiller could have done those duties and done them well… at least that’s what training camp indicated. However, he will never be DAT’s long term replacement on the offense. Akeem Hunt… once he’s completely learned the offense… will also be able to contribute the way DAT does… or even better.
Better? Yes. Watch the video below and you’ll see someone more like Hill (not especially in terms of speed) and more like Kareem Hunt, a RB who likes to make a move and go and a RB who makes good decisions in his cuts who can also lower his head and take on a tackler.
Akeem Hunt may turn out to be a bust in two weeks in which case we could still see C.J. Spiller down the line. But, its doubtful. By cutting Spiller and moving Hunt up, it creates a spot on the practice squad. Anyone want to wager a guess as to who Veach may have his eye on tho fill that spot? I really don’t know the answer to that but… it could simply be the opportunity to sign someone as soon as they become available.
If you are viewing this in Apple News and would like to join the Discussion, GO HERE.