Chiefs at Saints Preseason Preview: Injuries, Storylines and More
The 2023 NFL regular season is less than a month away, and the next best thing is already several games in. For the Kansas City Chiefs, they'll begin their preseason down in Louisiana against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
Scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CT, Caesars Superdome will host two clubs whose seasons went in different directions last year. Kansas City, of course, lost star wideout Tyreek Hill but ended up winning 14 games anyway, then won Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles. New Orleans, coming into the year with playoff expectations, fell short of that and finished in a three-way win-loss tie for last place in the NFC South by going 7-10. Now, with quarterback Derek Carr coming over from the Las Vegas Raiders, the bar is raised once again.
Ahead of Chiefs at Saints, Arrowhead Report is providing everything you need to know about the matchup. This includes a Chiefs injury report, as well as things to watch and what else you can read to get ready for the game. Preseason outcomes must be taken with a relative grain of salt, but they're important for roster-building purposes as head coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach iron out who will make the team.
Chiefs injuries: Multiple players ruled out
The Chiefs come into Sunday's game with multiple players dealing with injuries of various sorts. On Friday, Reid ruled out five players that normally would play significant roles on the team in a regular-season capacity. Running back Isiah Pacheco (shoulder), tight end Jody Fortson (shoulder), wide receiver Kadarius Toney (knee), defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton (knee) and cornerback L'Jarius Sneed (knee) will all miss the first week of the preseason.
For New Orleans, not much has been finalized but there are multiple Saints players nursing injuries ahead of Sunday. Offensive tackle Landon Young suffered a knee injury during Friday's practice, and tight ends Jesse James (groin) and Lucas Krull (tailbone) are also hurt. Elsewhere, more injured players include guard Andrus Peat (quad), linebacker Demario Davis (calf) and wideout Rashid Shaheed (groin).
Chiefs-Saints things to keep an eye on
Aside from running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire returning to a city that he grew to know so well during his college days, team-to-team storylines aren't too plentiful during the preseason. A lot of that will have to wait for regular-season action to begin, although that doesn't mean that there isn't a ton elsewhere to monitor during Sunday's game.
On offense, the progress of the Chiefs' young wide receivers is far and away the most intruing element. With Toney out, it remains to be seen how much starters such as Moore and potentially Marquez Valdes-Scantling will play. There's a clear drop-off after that, though, which could lead to the likes of rookie Rashee Rice, second-year wideout Justyn Ross and veteran Richie James getting plenty of snaps. Kansas City's receiver room is loaded with youth, and the preseason presents an opportunity for everyone to shine.
Defensively, Steve Spagnuolo's secondary will have plenty of eyes on it. Not only are 2022 rookie cornerbacks Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams expected to take leaps in their sophomore campaigns, but so is safety Bryan Cook. Cook, assuming the role of former Chief Juan Thornhill, has drawn serious praise during training camp as the "quarterback" of the Chiefs' defense. How he commands the unit when on the field, as well as how his peers react to it, will be worth watching.
Additional Chiefs odds and ends for the week
- On Friday, Joshua Brisco and I published our first Chiefs roster projection of 2023. Take a look at that for tidbits on each of Kansas City's position groups and insight into who has the edge to make the final 53.
- Earlier this week, Veach spoke about ongoing contract negotiations with superstar defensive tackle Chris Jones. Here's an update on where things reportedly stand.
- Pacheco may be missing this week's game, but things are going well in his continued rehab from the shoulder surgery. He and Reid both talked about it this week.
- Defensive lineman Charles Omenihu, despite being suspended for the first six weeks of the regular season, is eligible to play during the preseason. Reid reacted to the suspension on Monday.
- Looking into some over/under 2023 season prop bets for the Chiefs this year? Arrowhead Report's Mark Van Sickle recently dove into popular picks for star veterans and promising young players alike.
