Chiefs Unicorns: Unique Players Struggling To Carve Out Roles

Chiefs Unicorns: Unique Players Struggling To Carve Out Roles – Making an NFL roster is incredibly tough. You can’t do it simply by being an elite athlete, or a great locker room guy, or even an instinctual prodigy. It takes some combination of those skills, in addition to being a scheme fit. The scheme, in particular, causes certain players to enter training camp at a significant disadvantage. A ragtag bunch whose uniqueness makes them intriguing to fans, but a puzzle for coaches. For Javaris Davis, John Lovett, Darwin Thompson, Mike Danna and Dorian O’Daniel, performing their best, alone, won’t be enough to secure a roster spot. They must carve out roles that currently don’t exist. An uphill battle, to be sure, but one the Chiefs are willing to engage in, because of their faith in these young men. Here’s a look at their unlikely path to the roster.

If you read Laddie’s great piece, earlier this week, you already know a little bit about Davis. He’s a fiery athlete who plays with relatively good instincts and great intensity. His biggest obstacle, of course, is his size. There just aren’t many 5-foot-8 CBs in the NFL. What’s more, Chiefs have prioritized size, in their CBs, as L’Jarius Sneed and Bopete Keyes are both well above average, size-wise. For Davis to make the roster, he must show significant development in his instincts and understanding of the scheme. Lacking the length to contest balls, once they reach a receiver’s hands, he must position himself to make plays on the ball, before it ever reaches its target. Davis can improve his chances of making the roster by showing the versatility to play safety. His 4.39 speed could also prove an asset on STs, where he offers potential as a gunner or kick returner.

Lovett is a tenacious competitor with great agility, but where exactly he fits remains a mystery. At 6-foot-3, 225 lbs., and a 4.56 40 yard dash, he’s on the slow end for a WR, but too small to block as an in-line TE. He’s not really built like a traditional FB, though that’s probably the position that best suits him. With Anthony Sherman still around, it may be difficult to find a spot there. Lovette could be an excellent weapon, in the slot, but Andy Reid gets some of his best looks for players, coming out of the slot, and those looks tend to go to the big name guys. Charles Goldman of ChiefsWireUSAToday says, “Lovett’s success comes from his unprecedented athleticism and toughness for the quarterback position.” For Lovette to make the roster, he must excel on Special Teams, run good routes on the outside, and block well versus Defensive Backs. Lovette’s value comes as a mismatch. If he can best LBs in coverage, and crush safeties as a blocker, teams will have a hard time matching up with Chiefs personnel groupings when Lovett is on the field.

There’s no sugar coating it, Darwin Thompson struggled in his first year. He rarely saw the field, and when he did, he came away with below average stats, averaging just 3.5 Yards Per Carry and 4.8 yards per reception. At the end of the day, it’s hard for a RB with that small of a frame to make it in the NFL. Chiefs have a crowded RB room, but Thompson still has a chance to make the roster… if he can improve in key areas. Pass protection will always be harder for Thompson at his size, but if he can master the technique, he’s tough enough to do it. Being adequate in pass pro will be key, as opposing defenses were often able to gamble that a run was coming, when Thompson was on the field. Thompson has another path to success though. If he can drastically improve his route running, and improve his agility, he can offer something as a WR. While there’s too much competition, in that room, to make the roster in that specific role, the versatility to play multiple positions could help him stick around, even as a guy who lacks traditional traits of Andy Reid RBs.

Defensive Line Coach, Brendan Daily, has spoken highly of Mike Danna, but he’s certainly different from the rest of Chiefs Defensive Ends… with a physical profile that comes closer to a 3-4 OLB. Consequently, Danna offers a different skill set from the rest of Chiefs trench players. He offers versatility, with the potential to play as a physical Mike LB vs the run, or drop into coverage as part of zone blitzes. He also offers a real speed rush, from the Wide Nine technique. All of those are nice traits, however, Steve Spagnuolo asks one primary thing of his edge players: to set the edge against the run. While Danna plays with the necessary fire, he’ll have to demonstrate that a 6-foot-2, 261 lbs. DE, with arms barely longer than Khalen Saunders’, can hold up at the point of attack, vs 6-foot-6, 300 lbs.+ Offensive Tackles. Danna has a good shot to make the roster because the Chiefs rarely cut draft picks right out of the gate, but his continued presence there, as well as any real playing time, will likely depend on how well he can stop the run.

Fans had high hopes for Dorian O’Daniel, who showed flashes of being an impact LB, in 2018. Unfortunately, with the arrival of Steve Spagnuolo and the 4-3 defense, O’Daniel’s development had to start over. While his lack of size wasn’t much of an issue, in Bob Sutton’s defense, it certainly has been, in Spag’s. Lacking the necessary physicality to fill gaps in the run game or the versatility to play safety as anything but a box player, O’Daniel was largely relegated to the bench. The Chiefs traded for Darron Lee and have now drafted Willie Gay, instead of promoting O’Daniel, appearing to seal his fate.

DC Steve Spagnuolo has been patient, taking time to figure out what his players are good at, before putting them in the best possible position to succeed. I believe that he had a plan in place to use DOD extensively, should the Chiefs have faced the Baltimore Ravens, and Lamar Jackson, in the playoffs. You see a hint of this with DOD getting some late game snaps against the Houston Texans. In an interview, this off-season, Spags mentioned using DOD as a spy against more mobile QBs, seeming to confirm this. While it’s not a large role, it is an important one, against their primary competition. This, combined with his special teams prowess, could be enough to secure a roster spot.

Unicorns: Conclusion

The deck would appear to be stacked against Davis, Lovett, Thompson, Danna and O’Daniel. However, the mere fact that the Chiefs took a chance on some guys, well out of the norm at their position, is a positive sign. It would be a pretty tall ask for all five to make the roster, but if two or three them can do enough to stick around, the Chiefs will be better for it. As they face a wide variety of opponents, possessing players who allow greater scheme diversity can allow them to improve on their 2019 championship season. Now that’s a prospect that fans, and coaches, should be able to get excited about.

Ransom Hawthorne — ArrowheadOne

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