Darrin Reaves
Stop snickering. Sure, he’s a fourth-string running back, at best, but he’s been one of the most promising young players in Kansas City the past two seasons. In just six preseason appearances, Reaves has amassed 256 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. He’s a hard-nosed runner in the mold of Spencer Ware and has the ability to produce yardage after contact. In last year’s preseason matchup with the Rams (the final Governor’s Cup in state history), Reaves broke three tackles on his way to a 12-yard receiving touchdown.
Knile Davis, more on him in a moment, is the biggest roadblock to Reaves making the team, largely because he’s currently still Kansas City’s top kick returner. If someone else can prove competent in the role, it opens the door to Reaves sticking, but otherwise, he’s likely to be playing in another NFL town this fall.
The third-year man out of the University of Alabama at Birmingham has flashed often enough that he can be a serviceable backup running back just about anywhere in the National Football League, and it’s possible he could eventually be even more than that. He’s just 23-years old.
De’Anthony Thomas
Thomas has ostensibly been on borrowed time with Kansas City since late April, when the team drafted Tyreek Hill with one of two fifth-round selections. A Week 11 concussion is what originally sidelined Thomas, but mysterious circumstances are all we have to explain his absence from the team the rest of the season.
The speculation began not long after. It was a initially a possibility that Thomas would retire. He was later rumored to be on the trading block. With just two preseason games left to play, the smoke has cleared — well, at least partially.
There’s still no guarantee that Thomas makes the team, especially with the camp Tyreek Hill has had. If the reports can be believed, he made standout plays in virtually every practice. It doesn’t help Thomas that the two sides disagreed publicly about the reasons behind his hiatus.
The writing may already be on the wall for Thomas, but be that as it may, he’s still a special athlete with rare speed and the kind of explosion that NFL teams covet. He’s unlikely to spend much time unemployed, Thomas is a player who’d benefit just about every NFL roster as an exceptional returnman and capable slot receiver.
Next: Another member of the backfield and my conclusions...