Here's Andy Reid message to players fighting for roster spots
Players on the bubble have opportunity to shine in Friday's preseason game
The Chiefs are preparing to host the Chicago Bears for Friday’s preseason finale.
While the contest represents the formal conclusion of the NFL’s three-game exhibition slate, there is a sense of urgency for multiple players currently on the Chiefs’ offseason 90-player roster.
And this is especially true with the league-wide roster cuts to the initial 53-player roster set for Tuesday, Aug. 26.
Coach Andy Reid, one of the primary decision makers on who makes the team, had a message for the players competing for a coveted spot.
“Everybody can’t make the team, and they know that,” Reid said. “I tell them that Day One – just make our job hard. Make it hard for (general manager Brett) Veach and his crew and the coaches to get rid of them.”
The likes of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce, defensive tackle Chris Jones, linebacker Nick Bolton, wide receiver Rashee Rice, cornerback Trent McDuffie, center Creed Humphry, right guard Trey Smith, among others, are assured roster spots.
But for players such as wide receivers Jason Brownlee and Hal Presley, offensive linemen C.J. Hanson and Esa Pole, defensive linemen Fabien Lovett and Coziah Izzard, and defensive backs Melvin Smith and Kevin Knowles, among others, the path is harder.
Even wide receiver Skyy Moore, the team’s 2022 second-round pick, could find himself battling for a spot.
The final preseason game carries significance because players on the bubble should receive extended playing time once the starters and key backups give way.
Veteran wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster offered advice to players in that position.
“Those guys, my advice to them is that every opportunity you make the best of it,” Smith-Schuster said. “For a lot of them, a lot of young guys, I would say, throughout the preseason when you get those chances, go out there and you work whether it’s blocking, making plays, catching the football.
“For a lot of them, it’s also for other scouts. All other 31 teams look at our film, vice versa, so what they put on tape is good. They’re all getting evaluated.”
Meanwhile, Friday night’s preseason finale is more than just the score.
Multiple players vying for a spot on the initial 53-player roster will have an opportunity to prove they belong because as Reid mentioned, not everyone will make the team.
“It’s a tough day and that’s not part of the job you like,” Reid said. “But inevitably you got to almost cut half the team, so that’s not an easy thing.”
PLAYING TIME
Reid rested most of the starters in the second preseason game, but he indicated Mahomes and other notable first-team players should see action against the Bears.
How much playing time they receive, however, remains to be seen.
“I’m just going to play it by ear,” Reid said. “They’re going to start. They’ll start it off and we’ll just see how it goes from there.”
PARTICIPATION
Reid announced that rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals (knee), tight end Jake Briningstool (hamstring), safety Mike Edwards (hamstring), cornerback Nazeeh Johnson (shoulder), linebacker Jack Cochrane (knee), offensive lineman Ethan Driskell (appendix) and rookie defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott (ankle) will not play against the Bears.
