S Chamarri Conner
Safety Chamarri Conner made his presence felt in limited opportunities on Sunday. Conner would post two total tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, and one pass defended. Early in the second quarter, Conner would blitz and dump Jameis Winston on a 3rd-&-11 play. More impressive than the sack was how he secured it. Conner bull-rushed 6' 6", 316-pound tackle Nick Saldiveri and used his speed to close and wrap Winston up.
Conner has had a solid training camp to this stage so it was encouraging to see some of that translate to the field on Sunday. Having the ability and athleticism to add to K.C.'s pass rush is one way for him to cement his place on the roster. The team may need to get creative to generate consistent pressure early in the 2023 season with Charles Omenihu facing a six-game suspension. If Conner can help bolster that group with some of the looks we saw on Sunday afternoon, the Chiefs will have to consider keeping him on the active roster.
Some of the players cited in this article are still facing long odds to make the roster even after showing well on Sunday. Lucky for them, they have a few more weeks to continue to make their case. Nikko Remigio's four-catch, 71-yard day may have been the strongest argument amidst the other bubble players on the roster. It helps that he also has return ability and experience. If he can do more in the return game, he may be well on his way to making an improbable journey onto this roster. I'm looking forward to another recap next week after the Chiefs lock horns with the Arizona Cardinals.