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Kansas City Chiefs: De’Anthony Thomas Now a Full-Time WR

By Dan Schmelzer

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Despite an impressive career at the University of Oregon, De’Anthony Thomas entered the NFL with plenty of question marks. He was primarily a running back in college, but at 5-foot-9, 179 pounds, it is not like he was ever going to be able to carry a full-load of carries in the NFL.

Thomas’ value comes from his electric speed and natural quickness on the field, but his lack of size certainly carries some concern.

His lack of size and obvious position on the field caused Thomas to slip down draft boards, before he was taken in the fourth round (124th overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs. As a rookie last season, Thomas was able to make an impact for the Chiefs.

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He became their primary punt returner down the stretch, totaling 405 punt return yards on 34 attempts over the course of the season, good for the second highest yardage total in the NFL. Thomas also had an impact as a kick returner with 14 returns for 428 yards. If nothing else, Thomas’ speed, quickness and natural agility makes him a very dangerous kick and punt returner.

While his special teams role is important, in order to get the most out of Thomas’ skills, the Chiefs need to find a way to at least get him partially involved in the offense.

Last season, Thomas was listed as a running back. He carried the ball 14 times for 114 yards and a touchdown, which made for an impressive 8.1 yards per carry average. Thomas clearly is not a traditional between the tackles runner, as the Chiefs used many different jet sweeps and counter plays to get him the ball in space.

Obviously, it was a small sample size, but Thomas did have nice success in those plays. Thomas also made an impact for the Chiefs as a receiver, hauling in 23 receptions for 156 yards on the season. Most of those plays were screens where Thomas caught the ball behind the line of scrimmage and looked to make a play in space.

In a very limited role, Thomas did make an impact on the Chiefs’ offense. Thomas is a dynamic athlete who can make plays in space. With the specialty jet sweeps and screens, he can certainly make a difference in the Chiefs’ offense. It would be beneficial to the team to see more of that next season.

That being said, I believe that Thomas can also help the team in a more traditional role. According to Adam Teicher of ESPN, “Thomas now works in practice with the wide receivers and goes to their positional meetings. He worked with the running backs last season as a rookie.”

Personally, I can envision Thomas playing a slot receiver role with the Chiefs. On top of using the more “gimmicky” ways to get him the ball, Thomas’ natural speed and quickness could certainly come in handy lining up in the slot. In the short passing game, Thomas’ quickness could allow him to get open in space, and his raw speed will make him a legitimate deep threat as well.

Teicher also states that, “Thomas can still line up in a variety of places, including running back. But the move means the Chiefs intend to utilize Thomas more as a receiver and less as a runner.” So, expect to continue to see the Chiefs use creative ways to get Thomas involved, but if he proves himself as a receiver, he will get time in the traditional offense as well.

No matter how it happens, the Chiefs are a more dangerous offense when Thomas has the ball in his hands. His natural play-making ability makes Thomas a weapon as both a receiver and a runner. His lack of size makes it tough to simply hand him the ball, so getting him involved in the passing game makes a ton of sense.

While I doubt that Thomas becomes an every-down player for the Chiefs at WR, his abilities on the field are obvious. The Chiefs’ talent at WR is questionable at best, so giving Thomas an opportunity to compete certainly makes sense, and brings a lot of upside to the offense.

Next: Da'Rick Rogers Can Make Huge Impact for Chiefs

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