I’m done with Nikki Remigio.
It’s time to call a spade a spade: Remigio is not a good kick returner. It’s something that has been evident for a while, but we saw the latest example of that on Sunday during the Kansas City Chiefs’ 22-6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
A fumble in the third quarter was frustrating, stupid, and unnecessary, and it should be a sign to the Chiefs that someone else should be returning punts from now on.
Remigio's costly mistake was completely avoidable
The play I’m talking about came after Kansas City’s defense made an awesome reverse goal-line stand, stuffing LA on three consecutive plays from its own one-yard line to force a punt from the back of the Chargers’ own end zone.
The kick was a short one, making it out to just the 37-yard line. Remigio caught it on the run without calling for a fair catch, ran into a teammate, tried to return the kick in heavy traffic, and then fumbled the ball.
It was dumb situational football. Really dumb.
There was no good reason why Remigio should have tried to return that kick and a dozen reasons why he shouldn’t have.
Had Remigio simply fair-caught the ball, Kansas City’s offense would have taken the field already on the edge of field goal range, up 19-6 with a chance to put the game to bed. Instead, LA got 40 yards of free field position and the ball back.
It was a difficult punt to field, too. Given the short kick, Remigio had to make the catch moving forward with two players right in his face, not an easy thing to do. Then, he was swarmed by a coverage team that got downfield quickly with less distance to cover – two factors that make the decision not to take the safe fair-catch option even more baffling.
Even if Remigio hadn’t fumbled the ball, he still would have lost four yards on the return from where he initially caught it. It’s inexcusable. While the mistake didn’t cost the Chiefs any points or the win this time, it might have against a team better than the awful, winless Chargers.
The numbers don't make a case for keeping Remigio
The mistake is the latest misstep in what has been an underwhelming two years for Remigio as Kansas City’s primary kick returner.
Remigio was below league average last season in both kickoff and punt returns, and he is below that mark again this year. His 5.7 yards per punt return ranks 18th out of 19 qualified players, and his kick return average of 25.4 yards is 56th in the NFL. Yuck.
Frankly, I just don’t see what Remigio brings to the table. His return numbers aren’t good, and he offers zero value on offense either.
Remigio came to the Chiefs as a former wideout from Cal and then Fresno State. At the pro level, he's been a returner only. He played just three snaps on offense on Sunday and had zero targets in a game that featured two Chiefs receivers promoted from the practice squad. Even when the team desperately needed help at receiver, they looked elsewhere.
His best play against LA was when he made the rare decision not to catch a punt that landed inside the 10-yard line. That punt landed around the four and bounced for a touchback and gained the Chiefs 16 yards, which would be Remigio’s second-longest punt return of the season so far.
So, if he can’t return punts or kicks well and he isn’t part of the offense either, what exactly is Remigio doing on the team? It was a valid question heading into training camp, and it’s an even more pressing one now.
It's time for the Chiefs to give Brashard Smith a chance
The Chiefs have another punt return option in Brashard Smith. Why not use him instead? Remigio is a low-production guy in the role, so what is there to lose?
The Chiefs have seen firsthand that special teams and a big punt return can win a team a Super Bowl, but at the rate things are going, special teams and their punt returner stand out as the thing most likely to stop them from reaching the Super Bowl this season.
I’m done with Remigio, it’s time for a change.
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