The Kansas City Chiefs tore up the Arizona Cardinals defense like swiss cheese on Saturday night, but who made enough of an impact to sway the coaching staff?
After a tough 2023-24 season debut against the New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs fans were able to witness their team dominate for a full 60 minutes on Saturday night — so, the usual. By the final score of 38-10, Andy Reid and the offense had plenty to be excited about, while the defense held strong despite facing multiple quarterbacks and different offensive schemes.
Kansas City quarterbacks only had seven incompletions on the day, as they revisited some familiar turf from last season's Super Bowl title. It should be noted that five of those incompletions came from Patrick Mahomes.
With that in mind, the fireworks on offense were the major storyline. But who impressed the coaching staff?
Chiefs who made the roster: Shane Buechele
It's unclear exactly where Shane Buechele ranks on the Kansas City depth chart. The Chiefs brought in Blaine Gabbert this offseason as a veteran replacement for Chad Henne, who retired after a long career in KC. Henne led a 99-yard drive in the Divisional Round as the icing on top of a memorable career as a backup.
On Saturday night, Buechele was flawless, as in his completed all of his passes. 10-for-10 for 105 yards is an impressive stat-line, and while Gabbert had two touchdowns of his own, Buechele's numbers came against better competition.
Matt Conner of Arrowhead Addict summarized Buechele's performance as a memorable one:
"Buechele came in as the primary backup for Patrick Mahomes on the night in a bit of role reversal from the team's first preseason game and went right to work on the team's second touchdown drive of the night. Picking up where he left off as an offensive spark from the first week of the preseason, Buechele showed solid accuracy and awareness in the pocket and some playmaking ability outside of it as he scrambled 15 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter."
As good as Gabbert was, Buechele seems to have the inside edge for QB2.
Chiefs who made the roster: La'Mical Perine
Kansas City has an embarrassment of riches at running back, with former first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire third on the depth chart. The battle for the RB4 spot, for now, appears to have gone to La'Mical Perine. In fact, Perine's role could be upgraded soon if buzz about Kansas City shopping Edwards-Helaire turns out to be true.
On Saturday, Perine had 41 yards on six carries for an excellent YAC average. The fact he received the most carries on the team, and more than fellow RB4 competitor Deneric Prince, suggests he is the player Andy Reid trusts for that role.
Prince had just 20 yards rushing against lesser competition, and averaged just over three yards per rush. It wasn't a good look for the Tulsa product as he tries to beat the odds and make the roster of the Super Bowl champions.
For now, though, it would appear Perine has a significant edge, as highlighted again by Arrowhead Addict.
"Perine put together a solid night of work with 41 rushing yards on only six carries (compared to only 20 yards on 6 carries for Prince against lesser competition). If the Chiefs trust Perine more, that's bad news for Prince at this juncture because he put up a lesser effort. This final preseason game could give Perine a chance to put this competition away—for now."
Perine is 25 years old and has the edge in experience. He's not fumble-prone, which is valuable in any offense, let alone one with as many explosive contributors as the Chiefs.
Chiefs who made the roster: Cole Christiansen
Listed as the third-string inside linebacker, Cole Christiansen was all around the ball against the Cardinals. He led the team in tackles with five, and assisted on three others as well. Christiansen was part of an astounding Chiefs defensive effort, as they held Arizona to just 10 points on the night.
Christiansen was seen as a 'dark horse' to make Kansas City's roster when he came aboard, but two straight games leading the team in tackles suddenly has the Chiefs thinking differently about where he fits on this team, as USA Today's John Dillon suggested:
"Christiansen led Kansas City's defense in tackles, which was surprising given that he has flown under the radar to this point in the preseason. This second-year linebacker could be a dark horse to make the Chiefs roster as a depth piece for Steve Spagnuolo's defense after his standout performance on Sunday."
Clearly, Christiansen's performance was no fluke, as he's been flying to the ball throughout training camp. Christiansen is playing like a man on a mission, and he ought to earn a roster spot after back-to-back impressive stat lines.
Chiefs player to cut: Chris Oladokun
Chris Oladokun did not play poorly in Kansas City's win over the Arizona Cardinals. However, he has far too much ground to make up if he's going to make this Chiefs roster.
Teams rarely carry four quarterbacks at once. Even three is an outlier, unless that third is on the practice squad. Unless Kansas City opts to trade Blaine Gabbert or Shane Buechele — which there is an argument for — Oladokun will likely be on the outside looking in when Kansas City trims the roster.
Now, this is not to say Oladokun won't find a home elsewhere. He's shown some flashes this preseason, and could sign on with another practice squad if he's caught the eye of any opposing coaches.
Oladokun threw a game-losing interception against the Saints last week. Against Arizona, he completed four of his five passes, but failed to make much of an impact beyond that. As Chiefs Wire stated prior to the game, Oladokun is likely to be released regardless of his performance.
"Oladokun threw an interception that sealed Kansas City's fate against the Saints on Sunday and will need to show more discretion in his second opportunity against Arizona. Though he isn't likely to make the Chiefs' roster regardless of his performance on Saturday, he could redeem himself in the eyes of Kansas City's fans if he manages to come through in the clutch."
Oladokun has a lot of work to do if he wants to catch the likes of Gabbert for the QB3 job, and he's running out of time.
