Three Questions: Kansas City Chiefs Special Teams

Oct 6, 2013; Nashville, TN, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Cooper (31) congratulated after recovering a Tennessee Titans fumble in the end zone during the first half at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

Will there be more playmakers on the way?

Having consistent special teams play can be very difficult at times because of how much turnover tends to happen at the backend of the roster. Good news for the Chiefs is that the level of talent that is being added to the Chiefs roster is improving on an annual basis.

One guy to keep an eye on is Daniel Sorensen, who was a very solid safety for BYU and was dubbed by media in Utah as a “Special Teams All-Amercian.” The designation is pretty fair given Sorensen’s ability to make big tackles, down punts deep in opponent’s territory, and block kicks. He is the kind of element the Chiefs are going to need to add in order to improve on special teams.

Additionally, the Chiefs are likely to lose some players who were special teamers last season but will be starters this season. Marcus Cooper is an excellent example of a player who was very productive for the Chiefs on special teams a year ago but will likely not see many snaps with the unit now that he’s the probable player to replace Brandon Flowers as a starting cornerback. This puts a lot of emphasis on guys like Phillip Gaines to be significant contributors on special teams as a rookie.

The Chiefs should have a chance to build off of their excellent special teams showing from a year ago should they be able to maintain the growth of their roster on the back half. And given the way the schedule plays out for the Chiefs, they’ll need that growth to happen if they are going to have any shot at returning to the playoffs.