Chiefs Specialists Quietly Fascinating Ahead of 2024 Season — KC Chiefs Positional Preview

Football has three phases: offense, defense, and special teams, but special teams certainly doesn't earn as much coverage as the other sides of the football. However, if there was ever a year to know the ins and outs of a squad's group of specialists, it might be the 2024 Kansas City Chiefs. With new kickoff rules giving special teams coordinator Dave Toub options for how to handle kicks, the addition of new punter Matt Araiza, and another year of kicker Harrison Butker and long snapper James Winchester, KC could create a regular impact from the "other" element of the game. But could their secret weapon be their No. 1 safety?

Joshua Brisco: Let's start with the player who isn't really a specialist. When the NFL first announced their new kickoff rules, I wasn't convinced that Toub would seriously consider letting safety Justin Reid kick off on a regular basis, which would keep one of the league's best kickers on the sideline. After hearing Toub and Reid discuss the new rules and what Reid has been practicing, I'm fully expecting Reid to get at least some kickoff duties in 2024. I still think Toub will prefer Butker's precision as directional kicking will become more important, but Reid would instantly become the league's best-tackling kicker by a hilarious margin. Have I bought too much hype, or do you also see a world in which Reid could deliver the first kickoff of the 2024 season?

Jordan Foote: I could absolutely envision Reid doing it. When Toub dove into the new NFL kickoff rules and his possible strategy back in May, he seemed like someone who was truly entertaining every option. It's sometimes hard to decipher "coach speak" versus actual intent, but he has options. There's an interesting discussion to be had about the actual kicking part and how tackling factors into it. Reid (or even Louis Rees-Zammit?) would hands-down be a better choice than Butker in that regard. The injury risk is always a factor, but the Chiefs have more proven depth at safety than kicker. I'm not totally sold on Reid being the kickoff specialist yet. If he fulfills that role and Butker becomes a placekicker-only savant, though, KC could get the best of both worlds.

Brisco: What about the rest of the special teams phases? I'm glad you mentioned Rees-Zammit; he's listed as a running back right now, but he could be involved in any element of special teams and I wouldn't be surprised. Araiza is an interesting case as he takes over for Tommy Townsend. Araiza's NFL career will continue in Kansas City after college hype was derailed by an off-the-field situation that seems to be largely sorted out from a legal perspective. If Araiza can live up to his "Punt God" nickname and 2021 Ray Guy award-winning level of play, he could be a generational special teams weapon.
Considering Reid as a potential cheat-code kicker, Butker as one of the league's best field goal kickers, Araiza as a potentially top-of-the-line punter, Winchester's ever-present consistency and the potential of Rees-Zammit as a cross-sport difference-maker in the return game, the Chiefs have a remarkably unique — and perhaps just remarkable — group of specialists.

Foote: Rees-Zammit placing such an emphasis on special teams makes me entertain the thought of him making the roster more than I did previously. I still don't think he does it, but there's definitely a chance. Araiza has a long way to go before restoring his image on the field, but Townsend had truly high highs mixed with some lows. Even a more consistent punting game with the occasional field-flipping boot would be excellent for a Chiefs team that hopes to punt less often in 2024. The element of potential and possibility appears to be the theme of this year's KC special teams unit. Butker (who went 33-for-35 on field goals last year in a return to form) and Winchester are two of the best in the business, but Araiza has an entire range of outcomes. So does Rees-Zammit, and so does Reid. Is there a better special teams coordinator to trust to make those calls than Toub? Most folks likely wouldn't be able to find one.