Watch: Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Dave Toub

Q: What are your thoughts on the rookies’ special-teams performance against the Seahawks? 

TOUB: “Yeah, I mean, I thought (Jalen) Royals did a really nice job. I thought he showed us something; he almost broke that one (a kickoff return). I mean the kicker just tripped him up right at the end. That was good to see, young players showing up making plays. I thought (Ashton) Gillotte really played great on special teams. He had three tackles on special teams. He had a knockdown block. He’s an animal out there, so I’m excited about him as another rookie. (Jeffrey) Bassa (is) still a work in progress. He keeps working at it and keeps getting better. The thing with him is not the coverage, it’s the blocking. It’s just really technical. Athletically he’s everything you want; it’s just about getting the technique down on blocking.”

Q : On Skyy Moore.

TOUB: “His punt-return ability and kick-return ability has really gotten better over the years, and it showed right there. I mean, he’s solid there, on that part of it. The other part is just the mental, I think, with him, and it’s just about getting over that hump. He’s definitely an NFL player, whether he’s on our team or not on our team. I think the return (88-yard touchdown Friday) helped him. He’s a good football player.”

Q: Are there any more holds and blocks in the back with the new kickoff rules?

TOUB: “I haven’t noticed that, but there are a lot more returns. There’s going to be more returns, no question. Nobody’s just going to kick a touchback and allow them to (start at) the 35-yard line. That’s a big advantage. So, you want to take your chances with a good kick and then try to get it on the ground to try to get them tackled inside the 30. I mean, you’re saving a big chunk of yardage right there. So, teams are going to do that, and I just think it’s going to increase the importance of the whole play, either kickoff or kick return. Will there be more penalties? Probably. A little bit, but teams are going to get better at it and figure things out as we go. The team that figures it out early is going to be the team that has success early, so hopefully that’s us.”

Q : Where are you trying to push Tyquan Thornton right now?

TOUB:  “Got to find a role for him. He’s definitely found a role on the offense; I don’t think there’s any question about that. He showed up there; Pat (Patrick Mahomes) has a lot of confidence in him, and all the offensive coaches have confidence in him.

“Now I’ve got to find a role for him on special teams, whether he’s going to play gunner, he’s going to be a kick returner, he’s going to play end on punt return. Is he going to play a two on the kickoff? He’s got to play somewhere, being a third, fourth, or fifth receiver – those guys got to play on special teams because they’re taking up roster spots.

“But the thing about it is he’s a slight guy, so he’s got to use his speed; he’s got to use his quickness to get around people. He’s not going to run over anybody like (Ashton) Gillotte. We just got to find a role for him (Tyquan Thornton). He’s open to it; he’s been great, and he’s getting better and better at gunner. He’s showing up a little bit more.”