Preseason Takeaways: Carson Steeles the Show in Chiefs' Finale vs. Bears

Here are some overarching observations from Kansas City's third and final game of the 2024 preseason.

Aug 22, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Carson Steele (42) celebrates after scoring against the Chicago Bears during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

In the blink of an eye, the Kansas City Chiefs' 2024 preseason is a thing of the past.

Unfortunately for the back-to-back Super Bowl champs, it didn't come with a victory. Andy Reid's club dropped its third game in a row on Thursday, this time to the undefeated Chicago Bears by a final score of 34-21. In an outing that saw both sides rest a lot of their key players, the preseason finale was a battle of depth pieces attempting to compete for 53-man roster spots.

Nevertheless, the third preseason game will have a ripple effect over the next several days. With the rest of the NFL capping off their respective slates, it'll soon be time for rosters to form and preparation for the regular season to ramp up. The Chiefs are no different, and this week may have helped the coaching staff gain some clarity.

With that in mind, here are four takeaways from Thursday's game.

Have the Chiefs decided on their wide receiver group or not?

Coming into Thursday, many agreed that the Chiefs had a solidified top-four rotation at the wide receiver spot. Some combination of Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Justin Watson made up the list. Even with Brown nursing a sternoclavicular injury, that group won't change entering the regular season. Behind them, third-year man Skyy Moore remains squarely in the mix as a projected 53-man roster member.

That left – and still leaves – Mecole Hardman, Kadarius Toney, Justyn Ross and Nikko Remigio battling for spots. Most expected Hardman to be somewhat locked into the fifth or sixth spot, leaving one potential opening alongside him. This writer believes that's still the case.

Toney flashed both the good and bad with his profile, as did Ross, for the second game in a row. Remigio remains a factor on special teams but isn't one on offense. Could Dave Toub "pounding the table" for him to make the team be what saves the 2023 undrafted free agent pickup? This might be the most intriguing battle Kansas City has outside of cornerback.

What does this tell me? Ross and Hardman seem ticketed for the active roster. Where does that leave Kadarius Toney? I'm still not entirely sure.

Remigio is on the outside looking in unless something changes on the depth chart in front of him between now and Tuesday afternoon. https://t.co/RdhN9eZmeZ

— Matt Derrick (@mattderrick) August 23, 2024

Carson Steele: 53-man roster lock?

For the third straight week, undrafted rookie Carson Steele did something to endear himself to those in Chiefs circles (and surely his coaching staff). This time around, it was averaging 12.5 yards per carry thanks to totes of 18 and 31 yards in the second quarter. While the latter rush was a touchdown that got called back, the former UCLA standout punched the ball into the end zone on the very next play. That made it two scores in three games for Steele, who Joshua Brisco of Kansas City Chiefs On SI recently highlighted as a roster candidate.

"While much of the conversation around Steele has been about his potential use as a fullback, on Saturday, he showed again why he should not only be considered to be on the right side of the 53-man roster bubble, he could be pushing for meaningful touches when the regular season arrives," Brisco wrote.

If you had a prior roster projection that didn't include Steele, now's your chance to fix that.

Kansas City's defensive depth left a lot to be desired

In the preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Chiefs' first-team defense got put in a precarious position early and didn't put up a good performance. Last weekend against the Detroit Lions, things improved but Steve Spagnuolo's unit surrendered 12 points in each half of play (including a field goal as time expired). Thursday saw formerly injured players like cornerback Jaylen Watson and nose tackle Derrick Nnadi log significant reps, although most of the organizational depth got extended looks as well. The results weren't very pretty.

Chicago's quarterbacks all looked solid, and pass catchers Tyler Scott (six receptions for 99 yards) and Nsimba Webster (three catches, 68 yards) both had explosive plays. The Bears topped the 100-yard rushing mark with a pair of touchdowns as well. Explosives were a theme there, too, as evidenced by Velus Jones Jr.'s 39-yard scamper for a score. A late turnover forced by safety Tyree Gillespie did help but overall, the reserves had a poor showing. Luckily for the Chiefs, Spagnuolo will have his preferred personnel on the field moving forward.

Next stop, roster cutdowns and the regular season

August 27 is the magical day for all 32 NFL teams. Contrary to in years past, 2024 brings a sole cutdown day for rosters instead of a few smaller ones along the way. Kansas City and everyone else must go from 90 (or 91) men to 53 by 4:00 p.m. ET. on Tuesday, which is 3:00 p.m. local time for general manager Brett Veach and company. The Chiefs will likely announce cuts all at once in a lengthy list, but expect news to roll in throughout the day.

After that, all eyes look ahead to the club's first game of the regular season. With a feisty Baltimore Ravens team coming to town on September 5, the reigning champs won't get an easy start to the year. The gap between cutdowns and Week 1 gives players a bit of time to get their minds and bodies right in advance of a grueling season, and the Chiefs expect everyone to be ready to roll immediately.

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