Chiefs snap counts: Darrelle Revis plays sparingly vs. Chargers
By Matt Conner
A look at the latest snap counts shows that Darrelle Revis isn’t playing nearly as much as fans might have expected when he signed.
There were two categories for the Kansas City Chiefs this season when it came to the cornerback position: Marcus Peters and non-Marcus Peters. For what seemed like the longest stretch (really about 7-8 weeks), no matter who the Chiefs started opposite Marcus Peters, the end result was a nightmare of coverage. Teams moved the ball at will no matter the coverage or cornerback. All they had to do was ignore Peters’ side of the field.
That’s why there was much fanfare when the Chiefs announced the signing of Darrelle Revis. It wasn’t just about the signing of a future first ballot Hall of Fame player. It also signaled recognition on the Chiefs part that they knew there was a real problem at the position—and, as they say, admitting there is a problem is the first step to recovery.
More from Arrowhead Addict
- Former Chiefs cornerback in legal trouble in Las Vegas
- Chiefs Kingdom: Get ready to break contract news
- Chiefs news: Travis Kelce wants to host fan ‘chug-off’ in Germany
- Podcast: Breaking down the Chiefs biggest roster battles
- KC Chiefs send Dave Merritt to NFL coaching accelerator
A closer look at the snap counts from Saturday reveal the fact that Revis might not be as important as initially realized. The Chiefs looked good—very good, in fact—against Philip Rivers and the Chargers acclaimed passing attack and yet a lot of familiar names were taking the bulk of the ava ilable reps. Revis played only 24 snaps (38 percent) total, while Steven Nelson played in more than double that total (64, good for 100 percent of all snaps).
Instead of starting on the outside, Bob Sutton is treating Revis like he is other rotational corners on the roster like Terrance Mitchell or Kenneth Acker. They’re all important players when playing in sub packages, which the Chiefs often will, but on Saturday it was clear that Nelson had been elevated for one reason or another over Revis.
Perhaps Revis is still working his way into game shape or perhaps it’s that he doesn’t quite know the playbook inside and out. It’s certainly nice to have him present with the Chiefs, but at the very least, the idea of Revis as starting outside cornerback opposite Peters might not be the best thing for the team after all.