The kick return game could one day be eradicated, but in the meantime, the Kansas City Chiefs will need to find someone to fulfill the crucial special teams duty in 2023.
Last season proved to be a mixed bag for Kansas City in this phase. I covered this in detail in my 2022 Chiefs special teams review back in February, and found that the Chiefs fell in the middle of the pack at returning kicks with running back Isiah Pacheco last season.
Pacheco’s abilities were only partially to blame for his 16th place finish in the NFL’s in kick return average rankings among those with 17 or more kick returns. The Chiefs’ subpar blocking was largely to blame, but regardless, the job might not be Pacheco’s in 2023 anyway — less because of his ability, and more because of his increased role on offense.
During training camp and preseason, expect special teams coordinator Dave Toub to try out several players — rookies and veterans alike — for the kick returner role. His goal will be to find a player who can help the team earn over 25 yards per return over the course of the season, a feat that the team hasn’t accomplished since 2020. Below are the players expected to compete for the returner spot:
The favorites
RB Deneric Prince
WR Richie James
Pacheco solidified himself as the Chiefs’ top running back late last season. It doesn’t make sense for a team to use their best threat in the ground game as a kick returner due to the elevated risk of injury. Ultimately, this is why the Chiefs are likely to look elsewhere to fill this role. Enter Prince and James.
Prince, a rookie undrafted free agent out of Tulsa, didn’t return many kicks in college. He notched just four returns for 68 yards in 2020, good for an average of 17 yards per return. So why is he considered a favorite?
Because Toub likes him, of course. Kansas City’s long-tenured special teams coach compared Prince to former Chiefs running back/returner Knile Davis, who owns fourth place on the Chiefs’ all-time return yardage leaderboard and is one of only four players in franchise history to score multiple kick return touchdowns.
“[Prince is] showing traits right now that he reminds me so much of Knile [Davis] that it’s kind of scary,” Toub recently said of the rookie Prince. “And you know, Knile was pretty good for us … And so, I see [Prince] in that role.”
At the top of the food chain along with the promising running back is Richie James, who is one of the more experienced kick returners on the team. James’ 54 kick returns for 1,193 yards and one touchdown (regular and postseason combined) make him an ideal candidate to take the reigns on Toub’s squad.
The competition
RB/WR Jerrion Ealy
WRs Nikko Remigio, John Ross, Justyn Ross, Ihmir Smith-Marsette
Toub usually tries out between four and eight players at the kick returner position during the preseason. My guess is that the five above, in addition to Prince and James, will get extended looks.
The Chiefs tried out Ealy last year at both returner positions, and he finished the preseason with one kick return for 18 yards. Ealy was a very productive returner collegiately at Ole Miss with 864 yards and 2 touchdowns on 34 returns (25.4 yards per return). While Ealy has plenty of competition this year, it will help his cause that he possesses enough versatility to play two offensive positions as well as both returner positions. A good camp and preseason could help him at least earn another spot on the practice squad, which could eventually get his foot in the door to make the roster at some point in 2023.
Remigio was a similarly productive returner at California and Fresno State, earning 1,029 yards and a touchdown on 41 returns (25.1 y/rt). As an undrafted rookie, it will be tough for Remigio to make it into a crowded Chiefs receiver room, and he seems like an ideal prospect for the practice squad.
Smith-Marsette was a tremendously impressive kick returner in college and has experience returning in the pros as well. At the University of Iowa, he gained 1,520 yards and two touchdowns on 53 returns, good for a stellar 28.7 yards per return. In the NFL, he has managed 100 yards on five returns in stints with the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears. Smith-Marsette was briefly a member of the Chiefs’ 53-man roster in 2022 so it is not out of the question that he might take a step up and compete for a permanent spot in 2023.
While John Ross has only one return for 12 yards in the pros, he boasted a whopping 2,069 yards and four touchdowns on 86 returns at the University of Washington, which was good for 24.1 yards per return. As the fastest guy on the team, John will surely push for this spot in preseason, though he may be practice squad-bound (or even plucked by another team).
Justyn Ross is also an interesting case. He never returned any kicks at Clemson but Toub has given him looks at the position in training camp. The Chiefs clearly want to give Justyn every chance possible to succeed, and returning kicks might help him carve out a spot on the roster. There is the issue of his health, though, after he dealt with several injuries in college. Putting Justyn in a kick returner role may not be the safest plan, but could pay off if he can stay on the field.
The longshots
RB Isiah Pacheco
WRs Kekoa Crawford, Skyy Moore, Rashee Rice
CB Reese Taylor
Pacheco could win his job back, but it seems unlikely given his role on Kansas City’s offense. The Chiefs generally don’t use their top running backs or receivers as returners with the exception of special occasions (think Tyreek Hill during the playoffs, for example). That means Moore, who returned a few kicks last year, is probably out of the running as well since he could be the team’s top receiver in 2023. Given that both are known commodities, though, each is likely to be seen as an emergency option at kick returner.
Rice is an option given that he has been catching kicks in training camp, but it is unclear whether he has the skill set necessary for the return game. Plus, his role on offense could complicate things. Rice has limited experience in the role anyway, having only returned one kick in college at SMU.
Taylor and Crawford both returned a handful of kicks in college but weren’t standouts. While they could receive looks in the preseason, both are long shots to make the practice squad, let alone the final roster, unless they impress in multiple areas.
