KC Chiefs: Daurice Fountain among players ready to make their impact

ST JOSEPH, MISSOURI - JULY 28: Wide receiver Daurice Fountain #82 of the Kansas City Chiefs rushes down field during training camp at Missouri Western State University on July 28, 2021 in St Joseph, Missouri. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
ST JOSEPH, MISSOURI - JULY 28: Wide receiver Daurice Fountain #82 of the Kansas City Chiefs rushes down field during training camp at Missouri Western State University on July 28, 2021 in St Joseph, Missouri. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
MIAMI, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 02: Byron Pringle #13 of the Kansas City Chiefs reacts prior to Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium on February 02, 2020 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 02: Byron Pringle #13 of the Kansas City Chiefs reacts prior to Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium on February 02, 2020 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Byron Pringle

During the 2020 season, a minor theme emerged in Chiefs Kingdom that Byron Pringle looked ready for more. Whatever “more” means is in the eye of the beholder, but it’s clear that Pringle was a man who’d earned greater opportunities than the few offensive routes he was tasked with running and the returns he was given.

This offseason, the Chiefs chased some potential help at wide receiver, but for the most part, they are thinner than they were last year without Sammy Watkins following Tyreek Hill on the depth chart. The assumption was that one of the young bucks on the roster would earn the chance to step up, be it Mecole Hardman or Demarcus Robinson or Pringle.

Through one game, the sample size is small, but Hardman seems to be the next man up there after catching all three of his targets against the Browns (for a mere 19 yards). D-Rob and Pringle both had one catch on two targets apiece for 9 and 6 yards, respectively. Nothing notable there for either player.

No one was going to emerge as another significant pass catcher given that Hill went for 200 yards receiving and Kelce caught 2 scores. That’s not what we’re saying. It’s just also clear that beyond those two offensive heroes, the Chiefs aren’t exactly sure who to lean on for anything else. We’d love to see a bit more of an emphasis on Pringle.