The Kansas City Chiefs have a ton of star power on their roster but what about the players who don't get talked about as much? Which underrated players on the Chiefs roster could go on to become big-time playmakers with the reigning Super Bowl champions in 2024?
Felix Anudike-Uzomah
With the final pick of the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Chiefs surprised some people by selecting Felix Anudike-Uzomah. There was certainly a strong argument to be had that the Chiefs drafted FAU as he's often referred to as because he was a local guy and the draft was held in Kansas City.
That being said, we didn't get to see much from the K-State product during his rookie season. He appeared in all 17 regular season games and had 14 tackles and half a sack during that time. FAU was mostly buried on the depth chart during his rookie campaign but the hope is that we get to see more from him in 2024.
With Charles Omenihu potentially missing the early part of the season, that's a chance for FAU to step in and prove that he can be a mainstay along the defensive line. There's pass-rushing potential there for the K-State kid, as he had a combined 19.5 sacks over his final two years in Manhattan. Now he just needs to unleash it for the Chiefs.
Wanya Morris
if the season started right this instant, the Chiefs would roll with Wanya Morris as their starting left tackle. Morris played left tackle during his rookie season, filling in for Donovan Smith when he was injured. Morris started four games and 339 snaps at left tackle and PFF gave him an overall grade of 55.6 and a pass-blocking grade of 63.4. He wasn't perfect by any means but most rookie offensive tackles are far from perfect.
The Chiefs aren't likely planning on entering the season with Morris being the only option at left tackle but there's a good chance he wins the job. If he does, it'll be a tall task for the former third-round pick but it's a chance for him to show that he belongs as a starter.
Matt Araiza
The Tommy Townsend era has come to an end in Kansas City and the writing was on the wall when the Chiefs signed Matt Araiza a few weeks after the Super Bowl festivities concluded. Townsend had been the Chiefs punter since 2020 when they signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Florida to fill the shoes of long-time Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt.
Now that Townsend is gone, it'll be Matt Araiza time in Kansas City. Araiza was nicknamed "Punt God" coming out of college and now he'll have some important shoes to fill in KC. As Chiefs fans saw in 2023, especially during the playoffs, Townsend put the Chiefs' opponents in a tough spot when it came to field position.
Per his draft profile on NFL.com ahead of the 2022 draft, Chad Reuter noted that "Araiza showed his strong leg by creating 62 touchbacks on 73 kickoffs during the year, and he also served as the placekicker (18-28 FG, 6-15 from 40-plus yards, long 53; 45-45 XP in 14 games)." The Chiefs need the Punt God to continue living up to these accomplishments to put their opponents in difficult field positions. If he can do that, he can be the next long-term punter for KC.