The Kansas City Chiefs found playing time on offense or defense for 81 of their players in Saturday’s preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks. Here are the snap counts for those 81 players and what it all means.
Quarterbacks: Kevin Hogan 18, Aaron Murray 15, Tyler Bray 14, Nick Foles 12, Alex Smith 9. The starter played the fewest snaps because the Chiefs had other goals at this position. They wanted to get Foles and the younger backups some playing time, and they did. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said he’s never played five quarterbacks in a game before and this could be the final time this year. Smith will play more the next two weeks and then not at all in the final preseason game.
Running backs: Knile Davis 24, Darrin Reaves 18, Spencer Ware 13, Charcandrick West 13, Trey Millard 10, Anthony Sherman 4, Jamaal Charles 0. It’s never an upset when the runners who play the most in the preseason are the ones deepest down the depth chart. Davis and Reaves are at the bottom. But the Chiefs got plenty of work for West and Ware.
Wide receivers: Tyreek Hill 22, Da'Ron Brown 15, Frankie Hammond Jr. 15, Rod Streater 14, De'Anthony Thomas 14, Mike Williams 14, Chris Conley 13, Mitch Matthews 11, Kashif Moore 10, Albert Wilson 8, Demarcus Robinson 7, Jeremy Maclin 7, Seantavius Jones 6. Though Hill was by far the busiest of the wide receivers, the Chiefs failed to get him heavily involved. He had just one catch for six yards. Interesting to note that fellow rookie and draft pick Robinson was near the bottom of the playing time list. If he doesn’t play more next week, it’s logical to wonder whether he makes it to the regular season.
Tight ends: Ross Travis 31, Demetrius Harris 24, Brian Parker 20, James O'Shaughnessy 16, Travis Kelce 9. The Chiefs wanted a long look at Travis, who was playing in his first game since high school. The other backups also got a significant amount of playing time. Kelce was out after the first drive of the game.
Offensive line: Jah Reid 33, Jordan Devey 33, Jarrod Pughsley 33, Daniel Munyer 33, Zach Sterup 32, Zach Fulton 24, Drew Nowak 22, Reid Fragel 22, Curtis Feigt 22, Garrick Mayweather 22, Eric Fisher 14, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif 13, Mitch Morse 13, Parker Ehinger 13, Mitch Schwartz 13. The five who played the most comprised the second-string line featuring, from left to right, Pughsley, Devey, Munyer, Reid and Sterup. The starters played the first two possessions.
Defensive line: Rakeem Nunez-Roches 37, Chris Jones 28, David King 26, Nick Williams 23, Jimmy Staten 18, Dontari Poe 17, Jaye Howard 16, Allen Bailey 16, Niko Davis 8. The Chiefs gave the most work to their two youngest linemen. Nunez-Roches was a sixth-round pick last year and Jones was a second-round choice this year. Jones will make the team and Nunez-Roches has a strong chance.
Linebackers: Jonathan Massaquoi 39, Andy Mulumba 36, Justin March 32, Tyrell Adams 21, Ramik Wilson 21, Dadi Nicolas 21, Dezman Moses 19, Frank Zombo 19, Dee Ford 19, Derrick Johnson 19, D.J. Alexander 13, Terrance Smith 5, Tamba Hali 0, Justin Houston 0, Josh Mauga 0. With their two starting outside linebackers rehabbing injuries and out of the lineup, the Chiefs are looking for help at those spots. Moses made the most of his playing time.
Defensive backs: Steven Nelson 43, D.J. White 37, Eric Murray 36, Marcus Cooper 36, KeiVarae Russell 32, Jamell Fleming 29, Shak Randolph 21, Stevie Brown 20, Ron Parker 20, Jeron Johnson 19, Daniel Sorensen 19, Marcus Peters 19, Akeem Davis 17, Deveron Carr 15, Bryce Cheek 15, Malcolm Jackson 6, Eric Berry 0, Phillip Gaines 0. White, a sixth-round draft pick, was one of the defensive players the Chiefs were most eager to see. A cornerback, he has played better in training camp than the typical sixth-round choice. If that continues, he could move into the playing rotation.