KC Chiefs: Six biggest surprises from first preseason game

Mike Hughes: Return Specialist?

I was a big fan of Mike Hughes coming out of college. He was on my short list of players I wanted the Chiefs to target in the draft. So when the Chiefs acquired the former first round pick for next to nothing this past offseason, I was hoping that Hughes might be able to turn around the disappointing start to his career. My hope was that he would be able to stay healthy and possibly become K.C.’s primary slot corner in the sub package.

When I was at training camp earlier this month, I was really impressed with Hughes’ quick feet and change of direction when the defensive backs were doing drills right in front of where I was sitting. I thought that his quickness might be well-suited for keeping up with slot receivers, but it never occurred to me that it would also make him a promising return man.

Since Hughes has battled injuries throughout his young career, I wouldn’t have guessed that K.C. would be in a hurry to throw him out there to return kicks and punts, but that’s exactly what they did on Saturday. With the Chiefs trying to make Mecole Hardman more of a focus on offense, they opted to keep him away from return duties in the first preseason game. Instead, it was Hughes that was first out of the gate for both punt and kick return duties and I was really impressed with what I saw.

The same quick feet that looked impressive in DB drills serve him well as a return man, but what I really liked was his decisiveness. He would make a quick cut and then take off straight ahead. It drives me crazy when return guys dance around too much and end up not making any forward progress. To be honest, Hardman has made me more nervous than excited during his time returning kicks in K.C. and while it’s only one game, I liked what I saw from Hughes.

Overall, I liked what I saw from the entire return and coverage teams on Saturday. I think giving Dave Toub a full regular offseason will lead to a return to a strong special teams unit after a bit of a down year last year. If Hughes can stay healthy, it looks like he could have a big role as a return man this season.

Next up, what may have been a surprise to many, actually wasn’t a surprise to me.