Winners and Losers From Chiefs' Preseason Game Against Browns

In the Chiefs' win over the Browns, multiple players stood out for both good and bad reasons alike.
Winners and Losers From Chiefs' Preseason Game Against Browns
Winners and Losers From Chiefs' Preseason Game Against Browns /
In this story:

The Kansas City Chiefs' 2023 preseason is officially in the books, and Andy Reid's squad finished with a victory over the Cleveland Browns that secured a 2-1 record.

Now, the Chiefs' focus shifts to sorting out an initial 53-man roster in advance of the NFL's Tuesday deadline. General manager Brett Veach and company have until 4:00 p.m. ET on Aug. 29 to make the required number of cuts, which will lead to plenty of difficult decisions being made.

Players all throughout the depth chart had positive and negative moments in Saturday's win. Some of them needed the preseason simply to help gear up for the regular season, whereas others used the last three weeks to build resumes for either Kansas City or other NFL clubs to take notice of as they look to keep their NFL dreams alive. Against the Browns, that critical development process continued. 

With that in mind, let's point out some of the Chiefs' biggest winners and losers from the third and final week of the preseason.

Winner(s): Tershawn Wharton and Isiah Pacheco

As far as box score statistics are concerned, running back Isiah Pacheco and defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton combined for just one notable appearance (Pacheco's lone carry) on Saturday. In general, however, both of their appearances in the game were monumental. The former was active for the first time since Super Bowl LVII as he rehabs from a shoulder procedure, with the latter playing for the first time since Week 5 of the 2022 campaign when he tore his ACL. Pacheco and Wharton didn't need to do anything crazy in order to make waves against the Browns. Simply returning to the field before the regular season was enough. 

Loser: Shane Buechele

In the week leading up to the Chiefs' final preseason game, there appeared to be a very legitimate battle for the backup quarterback job. Veteran Blaine Gabbert wasn't doing anything to necessarily lose his job, but 25-year-old Shane Buechele was performing at a level that caught the eyes of the coaching staff. Primed with a perfect opportunity to send a statement at home against Cleveland, Buechele struggled and actively hurt his case. If Gabbert ends up assuming the backup role, Buechele can likely point to that outing as one of the main reasons why. 

Winner: La'Mical Perine

Speaking of jobs that were seemingly up for grabs on Saturday, the presumed fourth running back battle between rookie Deneric Prince and veteran La'Mical Perine continued along its same path in preseason Week 3. Not only did Prince struggle with consistency as a runner and kick returner, but Perine averaged eight yards per rush attempt and 14.7 yards per catch en route to another impressive game. With a very finite number of halfback roles available, it's hard to see Perine not having earned that last one (if it indeed exists in the roster math). 

Loser: Rashee Rice

While second-round pick Rashee Rice made more than his fair share of excellent plays as a receiver in the preseason, drops were a dark cloud each and every week. In his third career preseason game, things reached a tipping point when the SMU product failed to come down with three first-half passes. One of them was a sure-fire touchdown from Gabbert. None of the drops ultimately cost Kansas City the win but in the regular season environment, Reid won't have a very long leash for rookies who can't complete the catch process consistently.

Winner: Felix Anudike-Uzomah

Because he was limited by a hand injury during rookie minicamp and organized team activities (OTAs) this offseason, Chiefs first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah received a hefty workload in the preseason. He rewarded the team for its investment, flashing plenty of pass-rush upside in each game. On Saturday, he did a better job staying upright and also commanded more attention from the opposing offensive line due to his success in pushing the pocket and manufacturing pressure. The first-year man still has plenty of work to do, but he "won" for the third straight week and appears ready for some regular-season reps. 

Loser: Austin Reiter

With Kansas City having dilemmas caused by depth and numbers games at multiple positions, it's worthwhile to ask whether the team will carry just nine offensive linemen into the regular season. If that ends up being the case, it brings Austin Reiter's chances of making the team even lower. The 31-year-old center struggled during the preseason and with potentially superior talents at the guard spots (Mike Caliendo, Nick Allegretti and Darian Kinnard), a poor showing against the Browns may have been the final nail in the coffin for him.

Winner: Charles Omenihu

It's ironic listing Charles Omenihu as a winner here considering that he won't play a single down for the Chiefs for the first six weeks of the regular season. Despite that, the veteran pass-rusher had a downright fantastic preseason finale and made the most of the extended reps he got. Serving as a wrecking ball against Cleveland's offensive line, Omenihu feasted (against backups, mostly) and put some good tape out there from the defensive end and interior alignments. As Kansas City awaits his return in October, the team has now seen a bit of what he's capable of.

Loser: Clyde Edwards-Helaire (sort of)

It isn't fair to be too harsh on fourth-year running back Edwards-Helaire, as he toted the ball just one time against the Browns and his loss of three yards can mostly get chalked up to poor execution from the offensive line. He played just two snaps on offense. With that said, the former first-round pick once again got on the field with the Chiefs' premier offensive assortment for the week and didn't do anything to stand out in a positive way. Edwards-Helaire will surely make the team and play a role in 2023-24, but his lack of preseason success doesn't bode well for his stock. This is more of an overarching takeaway than a game-specific one. 

Read More: Four Takeaways From the Chiefs' 33-32 Win Over the Browns


Published
Jordan Foote
JORDAN FOOTE

Jordan Foote is the deputy editor of Kansas City Chiefs On SI. Foote is a Baker University alumnus, earning his degree in Mass Media.