Do the Kansas City Chiefs have a need at kick returner with the absence of Knile Davis?
After Knile Davis signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s assumed he’ll compete for their starting kick returner and back-up running back jobs. He held those jobs with the Kansas City Chiefs, so how does his loss affect them?
In the running game, the loss of Davis means nothing. He had already been pushed back to fourth string running back. Spencer Ware, Charcandrick West and even Tyreek Hill were all options ahead of Davis. This was with good reason as Davis isn’t a good NFL back. He isn’t strong enough to make a hole if there isn’t one. If a hole is there to the side he can’t move laterally well enough to make it to the hole. He has straight ahead speed that if a hole is right in front and he gets through it he can outrun most people.
The most vivid memories Chiefs fans have of Davis are as a kick returner. Of course the one that pops in everyone’s mind is his 106-yard return to open the playoff game against the Houston Texans. It was electric and set the tone for the first playoff win for the Chiefs since 1993. There was also the 108-yard return in 2013 against the Denver Broncos that tied the NFL record for longest kick return. He has talent as a returner and it’s more than likely the main reason the Steelers signed him.
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Fortunately for the Chiefs, they are deep at kick returner. They have the best returner in the game today in Tyreek Hill. He made the Pro Bowl and was named as a First-Team All-Pro as a kick returner. He is not only a kick returner however as the Chiefs used him as both a wide receiver and running back. In those jobs he became the team’s most consistent offensive player. He is the Chiefs’ swiss army player as he’s the perfect fit for any position they put him in. This means the Chiefs will want to get him into the offense as much as possible which could hurt his ability to return kicks. Overuse would slow him down in all positions and risk injury, so the Chiefs will need a backup returner to give him some breaks.
Lucky for the Chiefs they have De’Anthony Thomas on the roster. Thomas was the best punt returner in football before he suffered a severe concussion in 2015. He missed the last quarter of that season with his concussion and there was talk he may never play again. The Chiefs drafted Hill as a backup plan if Thomas couldn’t play at the same level or if he quit playing. Nobody saw Hill being what he was in his rookie year. Thomas got Wally Pipped.
But Thomas is healthy and he is still a talented return man. Besides Hill, Thomas is the fastest player the Chiefs have and a player who led the league in average punt return yards. He is still a weapon who has the ability to flip a field or take it to the house every time he touches the ball. For a backup, that’s a pretty good resume.
The Chiefs should have Hill returning most of the kicks. He’s too big of a weapon to remove from that position and he’s still young enough to handle the big work load. But when he does need a break the Chiefs have another great returner in Thomas whom they trust. If Hill does turn into a top receiver, than the Chiefs could swap roles and give Thomas the larger load of returns. But Hill would still have to be involved in the return game. If either gets hurt the Chiefs still have speedy Demarcus Robinson, sure handed Jeremy Maclin and safety net Frankie Hammond who could handle the job.
This all means that Davis will not be missed in K.C. He is a below average running back that the Steelers should be smart enough to never put in the backfield. Yes he is a solid kick returner who would start for most teams. One of those teams though is not the Chiefs. They have two returners who are better than him and a good group of guys who can fill in in an emergency. All those players also bring more to the Chiefs outside of a returner than Davis ever would. Davis is a good man who I wish the best, but the Chiefs are better off without him on the roster, even as a returner.