Chiefs Snap Counts vs. Saints: Reading Between the Lines

Kansas City's snap shares from their preseason opener against the Saints provided a ton of context to camp and what could be on the horizon.

The Kansas City Chiefs' first preseason game of 2023 is in the books and while a loss is on the record, the team came away from its outing against the New Orleans Saints with a good deal of lessons learned.

Taking the field for the first time since Super Bowl LVII, the vast majority of the Chiefs' roster got involved in some way, shape or form. Reserves naturally got more work than the starters, with veterans and rookies alike battling it out for positioning on the team's depth chart. As the road to the initial 53-man roster continues to be paved, each preseason game presents a unique opportunity for everyone to gain experience and prepare for the season ahead. Even those who don't stick around in Kansas City long-term will have benefitted from these games. 

Now that snap counts have been released, what jumped off the page? Let's take a look at three notable takeaways from the first week of Chiefs football since the Super Bowl. 

#Chiefs snap counts from Sunday’s preseason game against the Saints: pic.twitter.com/nzGOkTvBHo

— Jordan Foote (@footenoted) August 14, 2023

1. The Chiefs (still) want a good look at rookie Wanya Morris

When the Chiefs drafted Wanya Morris back in April, most expected him to be strictly a developmental right tackle with a bit of prior experience working on the left side. Over the course of rookie minicamp and organized team activities (OTAs), however, the Oklahoma product got some work in on the left side in additional to his normal role on the right. That trend continued in the first game of the preseason, and Morris was on the field plenty.

Leading all Chiefs players with 46 offensive snaps, Morris was present for a whopping 72% of available reps down in New Orleans. He had a stronger showing on the right, in this writer's estimation, but that doesn't mean his left tackle work was a disaster. The rookie, while still a work in progress, clearly has the coaching staff intrigued and appears to be a very safe candidate to make the 53-man roster. With Prince Tega Wanogho potentially being the favorite for the backup left tackle job and Morris presumably slotting in on the opposite side, it brings the fate of Lucas Niang into question. 

2. Does Malik Herring have the inside edge on the fifth DE spot? 

The top few members of the Chiefs' defensive end room are very clear. 2022 first-round pick George Karlaftis, veteran free agent pickup Charles Omenihu and 2020 draft pick Mike Danna will all be carrying the rotation once Omenihu serves his six-game suspension to open the regular season. Behind them, it's expected that rookie first-rounder Felix Anudike-Uzomah will fall in line and offer some upside as a pass-rusher. What about his competition in the second or third tier of Chiefs defensive ends? Malik Herring is the name to watch.

Herring, who has been favored over Joshua Kaindoh a year ago, saw the field early and often for Kansas City on Sunday and ended up logging 31 snaps on defense (42% of those available). This trumped rookie BJ Thompson (23 snaps), Kaindoh (22) and undrafted free agent Truman Jones (18). Less is sometimes more when it comes to playing time in the preseason, but the nature of Herring's involvement — and his versatility to play on the inside — could indicate that the coaching staff is still fond of him compared to some others. 

3. The Chiefs seem to actually believe in Skyy Moore's second-year progression

Back to that "less is sometimes more" sentiment. This time around, it's Moore. It's no secret that Skyy Moore had a bumpy rookie campaign with the Chiefs and didn't end up making his greatest impact until it mattered the most in the Super Bowl. Still, the Western Michigan product and 2022 second-round pick failed to live up to the hype in year one. Many believe he's in line for a much better sophomore campaign now that he's been in the system and has plenty of budding chemistry with quarterback Patrick Mahomes. On Sunday, the Chiefs quietly gave him a big-time vote of confidence. 

Moore took the field as a starting-level receiver against the Saints, playing just six snaps with Mahomes and other members of the first-team offense. Other young wideouts such as Justyn Ross, Nikko Remigio and Rashee Rice logged quite a bit more playing time, indicating that Kansas City may have wanted or needed to see more out of them. That wasn't the case with Moore. Reading between the lines here, it seems that the offseason and training camp hype surrounding Moore is bought into by the team. 

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