By
The Kansas City Chiefs returned to practice on Wednesday afternoon with a preseason clash with the San Francisco 49ers at Arrowhead Stadium just three days away.
In injury news, wide receiver Gehrig Dieter (back), cornerback Michael Hunter (groin), tight end John Lovett (shoulder), defensive tackle Breeland Speaks (knee) and tight end Deon Yelder (ankle sprain) didn’t take the field on Wednesday. Safety Tyrann Mathieu partially practiced as he recovers from a shoulder injury.
Following practice, Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Dave Toub, Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy and newly-signed wide receiver De’Anthony Thomas met with the media.
Here’s what stood out from their pressers.
1. Toub spoke about the addition of Thomas to Kansas City’s special teams unit.
Thomas has extensive experience performing a variety of roles on special teams, both as a return man and as a gunner in kick coverage. The Chiefs lost a gunner in wide receiver Marcus Kemp to Injured Reserve earlier this week, creating an opportunity for Thomas.
“When Kemp went down, there was obviously a hole there, and he kind of fills that hole for us,” Toub said. “He plays a lot of the same positions. He’s a different type of guy – he’s more of a speed guy – but he brings a lot to the table for us. It’s good to see that he’s healthy and he looks good out there right now.”
Toub went on to explain why Thomas fits that gunner role so well.
“I’ve said this before, but he was probably pound-for-pound the toughest player that we had last year early in the season,” Toub said. “He’s not just a returner – he’s a cover guy, he’s a gunner, he’s good on kickoff and he can block. He’s not afraid to stick his head in there.”
For more Chiefs’ content, follow the Kansas City Chiefs and Matt McMullen on Twitter.