Kansas City Chiefs: 3 Players to watch in Preseason Week 1 vs. Bengals

The Kansas City Chiefs begin the 2019 preseason with eyes on the Super Bowl but which players should fans be watching against the Bengals?

After falling short of the Super Bowl last year, the Kansas City Chiefs aren’t looking to take a step back in the 2019 season. Armed with the reigning MVP, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a slew of high-end weapons, a revamped defense and visionary head coach Andy Reid, the Chiefs seem to have the pieces in place to make a run at the Lombardi Trophy. They start that run with a Week 1 preseason matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.

As is the case throughout the league in the first week of the preseason, fans likely won’t be seeing much of Mahomes or many of the other top names on this Chiefs roster. At the same time, though, this type of game can offer valuable insight into how Kansas City enters the 2019 campaign from a depth perspective.

Subsequently, this matchup against the Bengals will give fans and the team a look at players that could play key roles as rotational or depth pieces, if not more, this season. Subsequently, there will be several young guys worth keeping an eye on come Saturday night at Arrowhead Stadium.

These are the three Kansas City Chiefs to watch against the Bengals.

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3. Mecole Hardman, WR

When the NFL future of Tyreek Hill was very much in question, the Chiefs made a reactionary move in the draft by taking Mecole Hardman in the second round. The Georgia product has speed to burn but was largely limited in college due to the amount of mouths to feed in a Bulldogs offense that also didn’t throw the ball as often as they probably should have.

Regardless, Hardman now joins the Chiefs and gives Patrick Mahomes another dynamic weapon in the passing game. With Hill likely to not see much of the field in this game (if he plays at all), it’ll be interesting to see how Andy Reid uses the rookie in the offense to try and maximize his playmaking speed and quickness. He has the potential to provide plenty of preseason fireworks.

2. EDGE rushers not named Frank Clark

The Chiefs made a concerted effort to hit reset in regards to their edge pass-rushers this offseason. Gone are Justin Houston and Dee Ford and in are Frank Clark and, to a lesser degree, Alex Okafor. However, for this move to not be highly questioned, Kansas City needs players to step up and create a good rotation with Okafor and Clark.

Thus, it’ll be fascinating to see who steps up. 2017 second-round pick Tanoh Kpassagnon, 2018 second-round Breeland Speaks and new trade addition Emmanuel Ogbah all enter the preseason with a lot to prove to try and earn a post in the edge-rusher rotation. This matchup against Cincinnati will be their first opportunity to prove themselves.

1. Khalen Saunders, DT

Throughout the draft process, Khalen Saunders became a favorite prospect of many fans. The uniquely built 6-0, 324-pounder has elite athleticism for a man his size and, despite not getting high-end reps against quality competition at Western Illinois, he showed dominance on tape. Behind the likes of Chris Jones and Derrick Nnadi on the interior for Kansas City, though, you wonder what the third-round pick’s role will be.

What’s critical for Saunders is proving that his burst and lack of height don’t hurt him against NFL competition. If he’s able to come into the preseason and be effective, then he could very well push someone like Nnadi for snaps or, at the very least, be the first backup on the depth chart behind Jones and Nnadi. The physical tools and upside are there but it’ll be intriguing to see what Saunders offers immediately.