KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There’s a reason Jerry Glanville, the former Houston Oilers and Atlanta Falcons coach, said the NFL stands for “Not for long” — every roster undergoes significant changes annually.
Free agency, trades and retirements lead to another phrase heard in locker rooms around the league: “Next man up.”
The Kansas City Chiefs are going through that process this summer. To become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls, the Chiefs will need bigger contributions from players who won a ring last season, a necessity after adding 32 newcomers this offseason.
Here are eight Chiefs in position to have a bigger role in 2024:
DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah
Anudike-Uzomah, the Chiefs’ first-round draft pick last year, could develop into the team’s best rotational pass rusher if he has an excellent sophomore season.
For much of his rookie year, Anudike-Uzomah wasn’t really needed, as he was an understudy for a defensive line group led by Chris Jones and fellow defensive ends George Karlaftis, Mike Danna and Charles Omenihu. In 17 games last season, Anudike-Uzomah played just 212 defensive snaps (20 percent), recording 14 tackles, seven quarterback hits and one forced fumble.
Anudike-Uzomah might get plenty of snaps early this season while Omenihu, a six-year veteran, continues to recover from a torn right ACL he sustained in the AFC Championship Game. Anudike-Uzomah showed positive signs in the last game he played. He wasn’t a liability against the San Francisco 49ers’ running attack in the Super Bowl. In fact, his best play came when he tackled running back Christian McCaffrey behind the line of scrimmage for a 4-yard loss, a highlight that helped force the 49ers to kick a field goal.
Unlike last year, Anudike-Uzomah was a full participant in the Chiefs’ offseason program, which allowed him to continue to polish his pass-rushing techniques.
“This year is all about his mind frame, attacking every day and spending that 10-15 minutes after practice and before practice working on his pass rushing,” Jones said last month. “I actually gave him a pat on the back about how his approach has been so far. We’re looking forward to training camp.”
Did we mention the whole d-line is back? 😤 pic.twitter.com/uttDBJapen
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) June 22, 2024
LB Leo Chenal
The Chiefs lost speedy Willie Gay, who joined the New Orleans Saints in free agency, opening a projected starting role for Chenal, who is entering his third season.
Known for his run-stuffing ability, Chenal should get more opportunities to show he is capable of becoming an all-around linebacker, a defender who can be used on a blitz or as a hybrid fifth defensive lineman capable of setting the edge or dropping into the flat to limit yards after the catch.
Chenal did well in a rotational role last season, producing 57 tackles, three sacks, seven quarterback hits and one pass breakup. It might surprise some fans that Chenal started three of the Chiefs’ four postseason games, generating 15 tackles, one quarterback hit and one forced fumble, which came early in the Super Bowl.
S Chamarri Conner
The rapid rise in Conner’s level of performance was one of the biggest surprises of last season. He might be the most intriguing member of the Chiefs’ talented secondary this summer. In college, Conner played almost every position in Virginia Tech’s secondary. He could do much of the same in just his second NFL season.
Against the Buffalo Bills in the postseason, Conner played 76 of the Chiefs’ 77 defensive snaps while replacing Mike Edwards, who suffered a concussion on the game’s second play. Conner finished with 10 tackles and a forced fumble. In coverage, he allowed just 25 yards as the nearest defender, earning a 90.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, the highest of any safety who played in the divisional round.
During the offseason program, Conner appeared to be the projected starter at nickel. If and when cornerback Trent McDuffie slides into the nickel for a specific matchup, Conner could move to one of the safety spots or go one-on-one against a tight end.
“I give big props to Chamarri,” McDuffie said in May. “They’ve got him playing nickel, (third) safety, dime and both safeties. I’m like, ‘Yo, you got it … like, this is crazy.’ He’s one of those dudes who’s quiet but works really hard. He asks the right questions, and he’s very detailed.”
ROOKIE PICK!!! pic.twitter.com/IZogbF4Dra
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 10, 2023
WR Mecole Hardman
Hardman’s six-year career has been anything but linear. But he enters this season as the Chiefs’ most experienced receiver, the one who has worked the most alongside quarterback Patrick Mahomes. That should allow him to be a core member of the Chiefs’ passing game, even though he re-signed with the team on a one-year deal. Hardman’s speed should also play a role in helping teammates such as tight end Travis Kelce and fellow receivers Marquise Brown, Rashee Rice and rookie Xavier Worthy get advantageous opportunities to create highlights.
Hardman will likely be relied upon early in the season, especially since Rice is expected to serve a multi-game suspension to start in September for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. In late March, Rice was involved in a multi-vehicle crash in northeast Dallas. He was the driver of a Lamborghini sport utility vehicle that caused the crash, which created a chain-reaction collision involving four other vehicles, police said. Rice is facing one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and six counts of collision involving injury.
Tom & Jerry is on the ring, and now it's on your feed 🔥 #TouchdownTuesday pic.twitter.com/CSPXMZwQu2
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) June 18, 2024
RB Isiah Pacheco
Pacheco could be the most surprising player on this list, but he will have a huge role this season. The biggest reason Pacheco’s role should grow is the Chiefs have just two running backs with experience: him and Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
Entering camp, the leading candidate for the third running back role is Deneric Prince, a second-year player who spent much of last season on the practice squad. The Chiefs also have rookie Louis Rees-Zammit, the speedy former rugby star who joined the Chiefs after entering the NFL’s International Player Pathway program.
If neither player does well in camp or the preseason, Pacheco might receive a bigger workload than coach Andy Reid would like. Entering his third season, Pacheco has yet to record more than 1,000 rushing yards in a season, a goal he wants to accomplish this year. Pacheco should eclipse his career high of 205 rushing attempts, which he set last season.
This video goes almost as hard as @isiah_pachecoRB runs 😤 pic.twitter.com/pF4vIDPwR4
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) June 18, 2024
CB Joshua Williams
The biggest loss from the Chiefs’ roster this offseason was cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, whom they traded to the Tennessee Titans for a 2025 third-round pick and a 2024 seventh-round pick swap. The player who was given the most reps alongside McDuffie to replace Sneed was Williams, a third-year player who has just six career starts.
Listed at 6-foot-3 and 193 pounds, Williams’ frame and size are similar to Sneed, one of the league’s best press man-to-man cornerbacks last season. Williams is expected to compete with Jaylen Watson, another third-year player, for the starting role.
DT Neil Farrell
The last major transaction general manager Brett Veach made before the start of last season was to acquire Farrell, a third-year player who began his career with the rival Las Vegas Raiders. With Jones’ contract holdout lasting longer than the Chiefs anticipated, Veach traded for Farrell, sending the Raiders a 2024 sixth-round pick.
Similar to Anudike-Uzomah, Farrell spent most of last season learning the Chiefs’ defensive playbook and principles. He appeared in just five games, including the postseason, and recorded two tackles and two pass breakups. Farrell should get more opportunities this season, which should help limit the workload for veterans such as Tershawn Wharton, Derrick Nnadi and Mike Pennel.
S/K Justin Reid
All right, this one is not like the others, but Justin Reid, a seven-year veteran, really wants to make a push to expand his role as the Chiefs’ emergency kicker. He spent the offseason program working on his kickoff techniques. The NFL’s new kickoff rules have led to this interesting possibility for Reid, who could kick off because he would give the Chiefs the advantage of an extra defender who is one of the team’s best tacklers against ball carriers in the open field.
In late May, special teams coordinator Dave Toub presented Reid with a challenge: Kick the ball in bounds in the landing zone — between the 20-yard line and the goal line — and away from the returners. He was successful on most of his attempts.
“A guy like Justin is a guy that the (opposing team) has to worry about,” Toub said. “You have to get him blocked, and they have to give up somebody else.
“I’d like to have somebody that can go back and is able to make a tackle. (Kicker Harrison) Butker is able to make a tackle, but I really don’t want him making tackles all year long.”
Oh boy, this season is about to be so fun 😈
https://t.co/Mlx3K5wvIq
— Justin Reid (@JustinqReid) May 30, 2024
