Malik Herring needs another step forward to make Chiefs in 2023

Last year was a significant step forward for Malik Herring. He's going to need to take a similar step if he wants to make the Kansas City Chiefs for a third year in a row.

Herring is a familar face for Chiefs Kingdom as a competitor for a defensive end role who has been around since 2021. The Chiefs initially decided to sign Herring as a rookie free agent following the 2021 NFL Draft during which he went unselected, the end result of a torn ACL suffered in the Senior Bowl at the beginning of the pre-draft season. Instead of exhibiting his strengths after wrapping his career at Georgia, he was left hoping someone would take a chance on him in the midst of his recovery.

For the Chiefs, signing Herring was a savvy move, a way to grab and stash a prospect on injured reserve in order to better observe his development without having to use a roster space or even a practice squad spot. That investment paid off on both sides when Herring was invited back during the 2022 offseason to compete for an active roster spot in his second season.

Here's where Herring made a significant step forward. Not only did he did end up making the Chiefs active roster out of training camp but he was active as a defensive end on game days for 7 of the team's first 9 games.

At this point, however, Herring seems to have hit his ceiling, which is why another step is needed. After the midpoint of the 2022 season, Herring and Joshua Kaindoh were healthy scratches each week, inactive players who took up a roster spot yet never seemed to find a way back onto the field. The forward progress from Herring in terms of coach's trust and playing time dried up, creating a cloud of concern over both young edge prospects.

Even worse (for Herring) is the level of investment in more young players at the edge position for the Chiefs this offseason. The team not only drafted Felix Anudike-Uzomah in the first round out of Kansas State but they returned to the position with another long-term investment in B.J. Thompson, a small-school pass rusher out of Stephen F. Austin Along with the signing of Charles Omenihu in free agency, it feels like there's no real room for Herring at this stage without an upset.

Here's what is working in Herring's favor, however. Last year, he made the active roster against most odds and was even active for as many as seven games. He's now another year removed from the ACL injury and he's got the experience and familiarity with coaches that any new player is not going to have.

Beyond that, there was the belief on the part of some scouts leading up to the NFL Draft that Herring might be better served as a 3-technique. Sliding him inside to provide some interior disruption might be the best way to utilize his build and skill set, and it's also a position with far less competition—at least the way the roster is structured at this stage.

Barring a preseason surprise, Herring is likely destined to be a roster cut or a practice squad player for the 2023 season. But similar things have been said about him so far, and here we are discussing him before another season with the Chiefs. He's taken the surprising step before and he's priming for another one over the next few months.