Winners and Losers in Wake of Preseason Cancellation – In the wake of pressure, from the players, the NFL has decided to cancel all preseason games. This will allow more time for teams to ramp up their practices heading into the season. Unfortunately, it will also mean many players aren’t properly acclimated for game one. The NFL has also decided to reduce roster size to 80 players. This helps maintain social distancing in the facility but the loss of depth will be less of an issue with no preseason games to be played. As with any change, there will be winners and losers. On the Kansas City Chiefs, it starts with Dave Toub.
Loser: Dave Toub
Most NFL players will tell you that off-season competition is largely an illusion. Teams come into preseason games with around 47 roster spots already set. The remaining six spots are generally decided by special teams play. With limited practice time, special teams coaches rely on preseason game tape to make decisions. Without tape, Dave Toub will simply have to project, based on practice, how players will perform in live reps. That’s no easy task, so expect the bottom of the roster to be in flux early in the season, as Chiefs realize who can and can’t hack it on Special Teams.
Winner: Dorian O’Daniel
Dorian O’Daniel has fallen down the depth chart, since being selected late in the third round, in 2018. Performing on defense, this offseason, was going to be crucial for him to maintain a roster spot. With uncertainty on Special Teams and no games for rookie Linebackers to prove themselves, the Chiefs are likely to keep DOD. They simply won’t have enough data to evaluate his competition, and neither will other teams. Also, K.C. can send players like Darius Harris or Omari Cobb to the practice squad, without fear of them getting poached, by other teams.
Loser: The Undrafted Free Agents
For Undrafted Free Agents in the NFL, initially, their only goal is to make a roster. Even with the quality of the Chiefs class, only a few of them are likely to do that in Kansas City. Normally, the rest would have a chance to prove themselves to the league in preseason game-action. Without that opportunity, skilled players will likely be forced to spend a year on the practice squad, as teams will be loathe to cut players they know for unproven quantities with no tape against NFL players. On the plus side, the Chiefs have a good chance of developing some excellent players on the practice squad that they would normally lose on cut down day.
Winner: Austin Reiter
After a solid performance in spot duty, Austin Reiter seized the starting role but was far less impressive. Injuries may have hampered him, but the fact remains: the Chiefs should upgrade at the Center position. They actually have multiple in house options to do just that with Nick Allegretti, Daryl Williams and Martinas Rankin. All have the ability to play the position. However, without preseason games to show their progress, it will be difficult for any of them to wrest the starting role away from Reiter. The same could probably be said for Andrew Wylie. Across the board, the Chiefs may rely more on players who they’ve seen in live action to start the year.
Push: Brett Veach
Brett Veach has had an incredible off-season. With a solid draft and a whole lot of contract wizardry, the Chiefs are well positioned to repeat as Super Bowl Champions, with a roster that may well be improved from 2019. Still, a great competitor is never satisfied and I’m sure Veach would love to pull off one more trade, to solidify the depth. However, with no preseason games, the Chiefs will struggle to find that diamond in the rough from another team’s roster (like Charvarius Ward). On the flipside, K.C. should be able to sneak some really talented players through to the practice squad. Ultimately this situation is probably a push for Veach, but, if he can still somehow pull off a trade, he can solidify his spot as General Manager of the Year… if he hasn’t already.
Winner and Losers Summary
The lack of preseason games is disappointing. Players are likely to be more susceptible to injury, to start the year and young guys won’t really get much of a shot to make an NFL roster. This will prove an advantage to, bottom of the roster veterans, like DOD, Austin Reiter and Andrew Wylie. For coaches and managers, it will present a unique challenge. Working off of limited tape, it will be a lot harder to make the right decisions, on further roster construction prior to the season beginning. The one silver lining for management is: other teams will have less data on Chiefs in-house prospects. Expect to see the best practice squad the Chiefs have fielded in a decade, but don’t expect to see any preseason games. Go Chiefs.
Ransom Hawthorne — ArrowheadOne
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