Richie James fitting in with Chiefs splendidly | KCSN Daily 8.16

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Ahead of the 2021 NFL season, Kansas City Chiefs GM Brett Veach put in a call to San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch to talk about former Middle Tennessee WR Richie James.

The Chiefs had scouted James when they were doing work on his teammate, CB Charvarius Ward. James was entering the final year of his rookie contract and some other players were performing well in San Francisco. Veach gauged what it would take to make a trade for James later when roster cuts occurred. The two sides were set to touch base again, but a knee injury for James that required surgery would end talks.

As we’ve learned in the past, Veach always gets his guys eventually. When the opportunity came to acquire James in free agency this year, he jumped at it, and it worked even better than the front office had hoped.

The transition from Mike Kafka’s offense with the New York Giants to Matt Nagy and Andy Reid’s system in Kansas City has been flawless for James. So much so, that the Chiefs emphasized getting young receivers repetitions in preseason Week 1, rather than an abundance of work for James.

“He’s been working in with (Patrick) Pat (Mahomes) in the practices,” Chiefs HC Andy Reid said of James. “We tried to get some of the young guys some reps. We have a pretty good feel for him, he’s a good player. We’ve got good tape in this offense of him. There was a little more emphasis put on four (Rashee Rice) and eight (Justyn Ross) in the game and get some work with him (Patrick Mahomes).”

The familiarity with James extends beyond the front office and scheme. Chiefs WR coach Connor Embree’s brother, Taylor Embree, was an offensive quality control coach for the San Francisco 49ers from 2017-2019. His father Jon Embree was formerly the tight ends coach for the 49ers.

“I actually have known Richie (James) for a while,” Embree said. “He was out at San Fran (The 49ers) and I got to work with him for a little out there. He’s a true vet. He knows what to do, ever since day one he’s been in here, he picked up the playbook real fast, and then if you tell him something once, he’s not going to make the same mistake. I like it.”

James has quickly taken to that veteran role and built chemistry with Patrick Mahomes. Working with the MVP quarterback has allowed James to pick things up even quicker than he had expected.

“Great, like I said getting the opportunity to work with him,” James explained. “He gives you a lot of advice of where he’s thinking and you know where you should be at when he releases the ball. Like I said, he’s running the show right now. You can tell he’s been in the system for a while, and he knows where the ball is going to go pre-snap. He does a really good job of telling you ‘Hey expect the ball right here at this moment.’ (So) eyes better be up, hands ready.”

The sixth-year wideout didn’t get an opportunity to showcase that connection with Mahomes in preseason Week 1, though he did have a great showing with Blaine Gabbert and the second-team offense. Just know that when the regular season arrives, it’ll be full speed ahead for James and Mahomes.

Nick Bolton & Tyrann Mathieu special moment

When the Chiefs went to New Orleans for preseason Week 1, one defender received a warm welcome from a former member of the team now with the Saints. Nick Bolton got to his locker room to find a note attached to his jersey.

“Keep leading them boys,” the note read. “It was an honor to play next to you. Keep holding #32 down. More glory.”

The note was from none other than Tyrann Mathieu, former Chiefs team captain. Bolton took over his No. 32 when Mathieu left in free agency.

“Yeah Tyrann (Mathieu) had (number) 32 when I was here and 32 is my sister’s favorite two numbers, three and two,” Bolton said. “When he (Tyrann Mathieu) was here, I never even questioned about taking his jersey or paying for it or anything to try to get it off him. I feel like he represented it the right way and how my sister cared about sports, passion-wise, he carried that out in a great manner. So, when I had an opportunity to grab the number and represent it the right way, I was excited for it.

“Having a guy like that (Tyrann Mathieu) – I watched him a lot in football, grew up an SEC football lover, LSU, Alabama fan growing up. So, all that coming together, you got a lot of respect for him. It was great to have that opportunity and the note he left on the back of it (the jersey) was special. I know this stuff is a little bit bigger than football, so it’s special for me for sure.”

When will L’Jarius Sneed return?

If you’re among those who are beginning to get concerned about Chiefs CB L’Jarius Sneed’s balky knee, you’re not alone. The good news is, the team seems to have a plan with how they’re addressing the injury.

When asked about his potential return, Chiefs HC Andy Reid assured reporters that he’ll be back.

“Yeah, he will,” Reid said. “We’re just – again taking that slow, but yeah we’ll get him back sooner than later.”

It’s unlikely he returns to see action in the preseason, but he could well be back at practice before too long.

Transactions:

• 8/15 - Placed on Injured Reserve - TE Jody Fortson

• 8/15 - Signed to 90-man roster - LB Olakunle Fatukasi and DB Duron Lowe

• 8/15 - Waived-Injured - CB Anthony Witherstone

• 8/16 - Reverted to IR - CB Anthony Witherstone

Quick Hits:

• Seth Keysor opined about second-year WR Justyn Ross’ debut with the Chiefs.

• Chiefs Ambassadors have begun to receive their Super Bowl LVII rings.

• I spoke with Chiefs OL Jason “Chu” Godrick after his first-ever football game in preseason Week 1.

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Important Dates Ahead:

Aug. 19: Chiefs @ Cardinals - Preseason Week 2

Aug. 26: Chiefs vs. Browns - Preseason Week 3

Aug. 29: 53-man roster cuts

Aug. 30: Claiming period for players placed on waivers