5 studs and 5 duds from the Chiefs' uninspired preseason opener

Fans of the Kansas City Chiefs finally got to watch the defending Super Bowl champions play a football game again on Saturday night. Was the 26-13 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars a good time? No, it was pretty terrible, but the fact that the first preseason game is now in the books at least means that we are rapidly approaching the start of the regular season.

While the game was a slog to get through, there were some good and bad performances that we should take a second to recognize before we flush this game from our collective consciousness. So let's take a look at the winners and losers from this game. I thought about making the first loser everyone who watched the entire game, but ultimately I was too happy to have football back to do that (even if the game was pretty gross to watch most of the time).

I also considered making Dave Toub a loser because the special teams play was really sloppy. However, I think the Chiefs may be hiding their real plan for the new kickoffs from the rest of the league. Since they were rotating a ton of different guys in on S/T, I'm going to give him a pass until the regular season starts and we see how he plans on approaching things.

So now let's get to the official list.

Stud: Jaden Hicks - Safety

Jaden Hicks was just a fourth-round draft pick but has been thrown into the fire earlier than expected because of an injury to starter Justin Reid. The good news is that Hicks looked up to the challenge in his first real NFL action. He made a couple of nice special teams plays. He had a great open-field tackle on defense and most importantly, he didn't look like a liability in coverage in the few chances that he had.

Overall, Hicks looked like he belonged on the field with NFL starters. When you combine this with his outstanding training camp thus far, it certainly looks like Hicks was an absolute steal where KC drafted him.

Dud: Felix Anudike-Uzomah - Defensive End

The Chiefs (and their fans) are hoping that Felix Anudike-Uzomah takes a big step in his second season after the former first-round pick had a very quiet rookie year. Most of the players that the Chiefs are going to be counting on this season played very limited snaps on Saturday. That was not the case for FAU. Anudike-Uzomah played 36 defensive snaps which was tied for 2nd most on the team and accounted for about 62% of their total defensive snaps. That's a ton of snaps for the preseason.

While Felix did total three tackles in the game and helped provide some outside pressure on a play where Jack Cochrane (more on him in a minute) sacked Trevor Lawrence, it was an all-around quiet night for a former first round pick that played that many snaps, many of them against second-string offensive linemen.

FAU continued to look mediocre at best in run support (even against backups) and while he had a couple of decent pass rush reps, he didn't look like anything more than a part-time situational pass rusher. That would be fine if he was a late-round pick, but it will fall short of expectations for what the Chiefs invested in him if he doesn't improve on what we saw Saturday.

Stud: Kingsley Suamataia - Left Tackle

Speaking of the number of snaps that a recent high draft pick played, this year's second-round pick, Kingsley Suamataia, only played six snaps and was out with the rest of the starters after the first drive. The logic there is probably that with Wanya Morris already hurt, they didn't want to risk anything happening to the guy who is now looking like a lock to be the Chiefs starting left tackle.

Still, the fact that Suamataia looked solid in the few reps that he did have and the Chiefs didn't think he needed more game reps in order to be ready to be a starter is very encouraging. You can put me firmly in the column of people who think Suamataia was a home run draft pick and that many teams will be kicking themselves for passing on him.

Dud(s): Reserve Offensive Linemen

While the play of the starting offensive line was fine and I already listed Kingsley Suamataia as a winner from this game, that's where the good news stops for the offensive line. The second and third string offensive linemen really struggled and made it hard for those units to get much going in the run or pass all night long. Many of those players won't make the team or see the field if everything goes to plan this season, but it does make you a little worried about what will happen if the Chiefs have injuries on the line at some point.

Stud: Carson Steele - Running Back

Carson Steele was probably the most talked about winner of the night. Not only was he the fourth running back to get snaps after Isiah Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and Deneric Prince, he looked great in the process. Steele was the only running back who flashed at all after Pacheco left the game after the first drive. His 4 carries for 29 yards was enough to lead the team on the night and he scored their only touchdown of the game. However, his touchdown run wasn't even his must-see run of the game.

The case for Carson Steele making the roster doesn't stop at him being the second best-looking rusher (behind Pacheco) on the evening. He also brings versatility as a potential fullback/H-back, has the power/build/effort to be good in blitz pick-up, and can play on special teams coverage units. I was already a fan of Steele after watching him at training camp, but after this first game, I think his chances of making the 53-man roster are skyrocketing.

Dud: Louis Rees-Zammit - Running Back/Kick Returner

If there is anyone that may see their odds of making the roster drop if Carson Steele claims a roster spot for himself, it would be Louis Rees-Zammit. There was some belief that LRZ might be able to claim a spot on the roster if he can carve out a role for himself as a kick return specialist and part-time running back.

The problem is that Rees-Zammit didn't really stand out as a returner in this game (or when I was at training camp). He also isn't anywhere close to contributing on offense like Steele. It looks like LRZ might be fighting just to make the practice squad unless he starts to flash some more upside in the return game soon.

Stud: Justyn Ross - Wide Receiver

Earlier this offseason I wrote about the battle the Chiefs had unfolding for the last few wide receiver spots on the roster. Justyn Ross is one of those players trying to fight to prove he deserves to get one of those spots. On a night where there weren't many standout plays by the receivers, Ross had the highlight of the night with an amazing sideline grab for 23 yards.

That is a play where his size/length/jump ball ability was on full display. Not only that, but Ross is really the only player in camp with that specific skill set. Nobody else is physically built to win in that manner. So if Ross can continue to show that ability he is only competing with himself. I also think it's worth noting that he did get three special teams snaps as well. Three isn't a lot, but it is more than...

Dud: Skyy Moore - Wide Receiver

I should note that Skyy Moore played ahead of Justyn Ross in this game, including on the opening drive with the starters after Hollywood Brown went out with an injury. However, Moore failed to earn a single target in 14 snaps (16 other players did earn at least one target). He just doesn't seem to be someone that either Patrick Mahomes or second-string quarterback Carson Wentz is looking to target.

To make matters worse, Moore didn't log a single special teams snap as a returner or on coverage units in this game. If he isn't trusted to get a single target in a preseason game and doesn't contribute on special teams, what is the case for Moore? Perhaps if the injury to Brown lingers into the regular season they will keep him around for insurance, but Moore is looking more and more like someone that doesn't have a role on this team.

Stud: Jack Cochrane - Linebacker

The Chiefs lost Willie Gay Jr. in free agency this offseason and it has the depth of their linebacker room a little in question. That depth has been challenged even more by a training camp injury to starter Nick Bolton. The hope is that Bolton will be ready for the start of the regular season, but if Saturday was any indication, Jack Cochrane will step into the rotation if Bolton misses time.

Cochrane was an undrafted rookie out of South Dakota who is going into his third season with the Chiefs. Cochrane was just a special teams player as a rookie, but he quietly logged 180 defensive snaps last season. I thought Cochrane looked solid last night, even logging a sack against Jacksonville's first-team offense. If he has to be called upon to play more this season, I feel pretty good about him as KC's fourth linebacker.

Dud: Leo Chenal - Linebacker

Let me clarify before I start, I like Leo Chenal and think he has a valuable role on this team. That having been said, this wasn't a great game for Chenal. The Chiefs used Chenal in the base defense early in the game and the Jaguars exploited his coverage skills on a couple of plays. That's a sign that he isn't likely headed for a larger role this season. However, it doesn't mean he can't still be good in his roles as both a run stuffer and pass rusher, just don't look for Chenal to earn many of Wille Gay's snaps in subpackage units.

A place where Chenal should be valuable is on special teams, but he had an off night there as well. He had the initial missed tackle on Parker Washington's 73-yard kick return and then not long after was flagged for a penalty that brought back a solid Nikko Remigio kick return. I'm not worried about Chenal long-term, but if we're talking about players that had a rough game on Saturday we have to include Chenal on the list.

So there you have it Chiefs fans, those are my winners and losers from KC's first preseason game of the year. Who do you agree with? Who do you disagree with? Who should have made the list that I left off? I'd love to read your thoughts in the comments below.