Chiefs Snap Count Analysis: Noteworthy Trends in Preseason Game vs. Rams

The Kansas City Chiefs' plan ahead of Saturday's preseason defeat to the Los Angeles Rams may not have succeeded in the final score, but head coach Andy Reid and his staff still learned plenty.

From the opening kickoff until the final whistle, Kansas City got invaluable real-time intel on many of its players. As training camp winds down for the summer and Week 1 of the regular season quickly approaches, every playing time trend and situational decision could play a role in revealing who will eventually make the team.

Now that snap counts have been released, what jumped off the page? Let's take a look at three noteworthy takeaways from the first week of Chiefs football in quite a while.

Key starters were on a very short leash

In years past, Reid has been very consistent with wanting his starters to see the field and get reacclimated. Shaking the rust off and developing a last bit of chemistry are both valid arguments for those who are in favor of "ones" getting preseason snaps, but Kansas City went an alternate route this weekend.

At the top of the roster, star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce dressed but didn't even play. Running back Kenneth Walker III and defensive tackle Chris Jones each logged just one snap, with others like defensive end George Karlaftis and linebacker Nick Bolton getting three reps apiece.

We'll see what preseason outing No. 2 brings for more high-profile Chiefs, although it's become clear that fielding first-stringers isn't the priority it used to be.

One boundary cornerback job seems solidified

At the conclusion of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Chiefs appeared to have one of their starting cornerback spots completely cemented. First-round pick Mansoor Delane could man a boundary job in his debut campaign, with the duo of Nohl Williams and Kristian Fulton battling for the other spot opposite him. With Delane still rehabbing a shoulder injury, the door's been open for more practice and, now, game snaps. The distribution of those available opportunities against LA was telling.

As a member of the first-team defense, Williams made multiple impressive plays on just nine snaps, good for 17% of those available. A third-down pass breakup and a downhill tackle highlighted his afternoon. Fulton, meanwhile, was solid but played the third-most snaps of anyone on that side of the ball with 29. For someone who's a veteran and has been a little banged up in his Chiefs tenure, that doesn't bode particularly well.

You can read the tea leaves on this one.

What's going on with Emari Demercado?

Lastly is the running back rotation. The aforementioned Walker didn't get any real work on offense, instead leaving it up to the trio of Emari Demercado, Emmett Johnson and Brashard Smith to carry the ball all game long. Ironically, that order is likely how most folks had their depth charts set up coming into the weekend, but Demercado's lack of involvement as a reserve was concerning.

Johnson led the way with a tremendous performance, finishing with 12 carries for 59 yards in a showing that would've been even better if not for other teammates' penalties. Smith experienced a similar fate regarding his peers' mishaps, as his eight rushes for just 21 yards don't reflect what he put on tape. He was more productive than that.

Demercado didn't get work until the second half, finishing with three uninspiring totes for nine yards and matching his five offensive snaps with the same number on special teams. If there were a concern meter for a player's role security, this situation would be a pretty easy five.

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