Preseason is typically able to give us a glimpse of what a first or second-year player is going to give us during the upcoming season. That said, if the preseason is any indication of what we're going to see out of Felix Anudike-Uzomah in 2024, then most Chiefs fans may be disappointed.
Throughout the preseason, Anudike-Uzomah has shown flashes. Mostly in preseason Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he split a couple of double-teams and displayed good strength. Games two and three, however, were a different story. Anudike-Uzomah disappeared as the games progressed.
To preface the rest of what's about to be said, none of this is to say that Anudike-Uzomah is a bust or won't do anything in his career or next season, he's still extremely young and still has time to develop. All of this is to simply say that Anudike-Uzomah's clock has officially started.
There are a few warning signs already starting to show when it comes to Anudike-Uzomah's game. Firstly, we saw a lot of action against the backups late into preseason games one and two for FAU. In those games, he was extremely quiet and struggled to beat his blocker one-on-one in those scenarios. He still looks like he's learning to refine his pass rush and how to use his body in the preseason.
Chiefs second-year defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah should be expected to make a big jump for a pass-rushing group that needs the production.
Even more concerning, he looks slow off the ball. Let's be clear, a first-round pick heading into year two should be imposing his will on the second- and third-stringers on the opposing team. At the very least, there should be moments that make you go, "Wow!"
Take Xavier Worthy, for example, the Chiefs first-round pick in the most recent draft. In the second game of the preseason vs the Detroit Lions, there was a sequence where he made a huge catch over the middle of the field, and then a few plays later, ran a stutter step route leading to a ton of separation and a wide-open touchdown. Point is, there was that moment with Worthy that made you go, "Yeah, he's going to be a guy for this team".
Where are those moments for Anudike-Uzomah? What is the example we point to when we are trying to convince someone that he is going to be an impactful player?
Also, it's not a great sign that the Chiefs just recently traded for Arizona Cardinals defensive end Cam Thomas prior to cutdown day. He'll likely fight his way into the rotation this year and provide another option. That's likely not a ringing endorsement of FAU's progress. You typically don't make a move like that this late in the offseason if you feel like your room is already set.
It feels as if Anudike-Uzomah is entering Skyy Moore territory where, through two offseasons, we have no idea what to expect from him heading into another year. Hopes are high, but realistically, he hasn't given us any reason to believe this year is going to be a big step forward. If it's not, then fans are going to start asking the tough questions like they are now with Skyy Moore.
There's going to be a similar microscope placed over Anudike-Uzomah this year, and that's fair given the situation at defensive end. The Kansas City Chiefs made no major additions to the defensive end room this offseason which most likely means they're counting on FAU to make that jump. Last year he was protected by the fact Kansas City didn't need him and was allowing him to sit behind and learn. We're now asking the first-round pick to become a key part of the rotation.
Almost nobody is asking Anudike-Uzomah to be a star in 2024. That's not realistic. What about three or four sacks, a few dozen tackles and pressures, and some noticeable impact on games, though? That feels like a fair ask of your first-round pick a year ago.
The ceiling as of right now feels like an Alex Okafor type of player—someone that, when healthy, can give you five or six sacks, give you strong snaps, and stop the run a little bit. In fact, if you were offered two buttons with one saying you get that Alex Okafor ceiling now or the other being we let FAU's career play out to see if he could be more, what would you press? That should tell you what the sentiment is right now on FAU. Make no mistake, that would make for a solid player, but you don't draft Okafor in the first round.
Kansas City is counting on FAU to become a part of the rotation in 2024, especially with Charles Omenihu missing at least the first quarter of the season. If he can't do that, it will be a disappointment and will officially put him on the draft pick clock when Kansas City starts to look for insurance plans next offseason.