Chiefs Not Worried About Lack of Reps for First-Round DE

With a postseason berth already clinched and the three-seed locked in, the Kansas City Chiefs have a de facto bye week in some regards. The team is still taking Week 18's game against the Los Angeles Chargers seriously — many starters should get reps in — but Sunday's outing presents an opportunity for the club's depth to be relied on. 

Rookie defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas City's first-round pick back in April's NFL Draft, is one of the players who will be monitored closely.

It's been a quiet season for the 31st overall pick. In 16 games, he has 11 tackles, seven quarterback hits and just half a sack. According to Pro Football Focus, he's credited with nine pressures in 108 pass-rushing opportunities. Six of those pressures came in the first five weeks of the regular season. The Kansas State product hasn't done much since the return of Charles Omenihu, but he also hasn't been given many opportunities. 

Speaking to the media on Thursday, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said he can see progress from his top rookie even if it isn't in games. 

"I think I've seen him mature and grow in the meetings," Spagnuolo said. "I'm always asking guys questions — I give them homework tapes at night and then ask them the next day. And Felix, he's been on it. That tells me something. It will be nice to see him get some plays this week and see where he's at. We've never had a problem putting Felix in. It's just been more of the fact that George (Karlaftis) and Mike (Danna) and Charles have been playing pretty good." 

With roughly a week and a half until Wild Card Weekend, many will look ahead to mid-January for more important Chiefs football. Week 18 is still critical, though for many of the players who will see the field this Sunday. Anudike-Uzomah is among that group, needing all the in-game experience he can get. Facing a division rival will be a nice test for him. Spagnuolo doesn't have too many specific things he's looking for from youngsters, but he'll be doing a full-scale evaluation either way. 

"With all of these guys that maybe haven't played a lot, I'm looking to make sure they know exactly what they're doing," Spagnuolo said. "The old, 'do your job,' right? I'll be evaluating mental errors, don't want to see those. That tells me that they've been staying up with the game plan. That'd be a good thing."

Sunday could feature Anudike-Uzomah in a way he hasn't experienced in weeks. If you're looking for the last time the first-rounder played double-digit snaps, you'd have to go all the way back to a Week 7 matchup against these same Chargers. In the nine games since, he's averaged just under five defensive reps per outing. Unsurprisingly, he hasn't produced much throughout that stretch. 

Part of it is a numbers game. In his second season, Karlaftis just crossed over the 10-sack mark and is turning into a formidable starting defensive end. Danna is enjoying a career season during a contract year. Once Omenihu got back up to speed and Jones was still rotating to the outside occasionally, that simply didn't leave much room for the rookie. No team wants to minimize the impact of its first draft pick, though, and Kansas City knows Anudike-Uzomah will eventually have to see the field. Sunday could be a teaser for next season. Defensive line coach Joe Cullen isn't one bit worried about how the process is unfolding. 

"Felix got thrown into the fire early," Cullen said. "George had to play early, but Felix was getting about 20-25 snaps a game because A) we went into the first game without Chris [and] B) Charles was limited during the six games we didn't have him. So it was an opportunity for him to really show who he was, and he did a really good job. He was getting better. We focused on him playing in that nickel package on third down and then when Charles came back, he was still rolling in that role. As we evolved into the season, Charles, Mike Danna, Chris, George, Turk (Tershawn Wharton), all were doing a great job so it was hard to get another body in that position. But he's doing a great job, and he's only going to get better."