The offseason speculation, hopes, and fears of fans, media, and analysts from around the league are starting to get answered as teams get the chance to put their players in pads against opponents. Not that preseason games mean much in terms of which teams have the most talent. But if you know what to watch for, you can learn a whole lot about what to expect during the season. Coming into the Kansas City Chiefs’ Saturday night game against the Arizona Cardinals, I had five questions that stood out from this past offseason…
With #Chiefs preseason opener tomorrow, here are 5 spots I'm watching: RG, RT, TE, DT, and ILB. I see those as biggest questions right now.
— CitadelChief (@citadelchief) August 14, 2015
In my mind, those were the five areas that I was most concerned about. The Chiefs had made moves in the offseason, and there was reason for hope all around. But there was also reason for concern at each of those spots. That made them question marks. Fortunately, we were able to learn a little bit about each of them Saturday night. And, for the most part, we got some good answers.
Zach Fulton looked much more comfortable on Saturday than he did last year. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Right Guard: Second-year man, Zach Fulton, held up well in the starting role. That’s definitely some good news for the Chiefs as it indicates that he has taken a big step forward. Arizona’s defensive line isn’t a pushover, but Fulton held his ground and looked good. Fulton showed some improvement in his pass protection, which was the big question with him. If Fulton is starting at right guard, you can go ahead and take me off the Evan Mathis bandwagon.
Backing up Fulton was Paul Fanaika. Truth be told, this is about as straightforward a situation as I can remember. Fanaika is here to be the backup at right guard…he played backup right guard…he looked like a backup right guard. There may not be a less controversial spot on the entire roster than Fanaika as the backup right guard. He’s strong in the run game where he can get his hands on people, but struggles in pass protection. If the Chiefs have to call upon him, there shouldn’t be any reason for panic.
Next: The right tackle spot hits a snag