The 2024 preseason is coming down to the wire.
With one preseason game to go, the Kansas City Chiefs will have some tough decisions to make within the coming days. Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy likes what he has seen so far from both the running backs and wide receivers vying for a spot on the final 53-man roster.
Second-year running back Deneric Prince has caught the attention of Nagy, who calls Prince “a quiet kid” who gives it his all.
“I love the run he had the other day down the sideline, man, when he picks his knees up, he’s gone down the sideline, he’s tough,” praised Nagy. “Every practice, he shows up every day, and so when you get a big play like that, it’s always nice to see.”
Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been with the Chiefs for two of their Super Bowl wins, but he has taken a back seat to fellow back Isiah Pacheco the last two seasons. Nagy couldn’t confirm whether or not Edwards-Helaire will play in the final preseason game but said that the staff is well aware of what the fifth-year back brings to the team.
“He’s a guy that’s put a lot of good film out there, he’s had a lot of valuable snaps here in Kansas City,” Nagy recalled. “But I think we know who he is, we know what his strengths are, and we know how to use him.”
During training camp, Edwards-Helaire opened up about his mental health after a traumatic incident dating back to 2018. Nagy reiterated that the team appreciates all the veteran has done for the Chiefs.
“He has what he has off the field. We all have our stuff off the field, personally, what you go through, and I think hopefully he feels his coaches and his teammates all have his back in this thing; we’re in this thing together.”
An early fan favorite has been fullback Carson Steele. Nagy called Steele a “great kid” and was impressed with his recent preseason performances.
“He had that one big run in the first game, [and] we were able to see some of that stuff in training camp, in some of the practices,” Nagy recalled. “So more opportunities, more reps are going to be valuable for him and then for us to be able to see where he’s at.”
When asked about the overflow at wide receiver, Nagy said that having to make tough roster cut decisions is a positive. Nagy reiterates that there is still one more preseason game left to get a good look at some of the receivers before those hard decisions need to be made.
“We still have this game coming up here, which is going to be valuable for a lot of these guys, and they know that,” Nagy shared. “When I step back now in my role, and I look at the relationships we built with these guys, whatever position, I want to make sure that I’m giving them everything from me to make sure that they can look back and say you gave me an opportunity to do what I can.”
