Here are the two Chiefs players who will have the 1st shot at returning punts Sunday
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Chiefs vs. Bengals
The Kansas City Chiefs will play a big rematch against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday at 3:25 p.m. CT at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. The game will be on CBS (Channel 5 in Kansas City).
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The Chiefs have their answer at punt returner, if only for the short-term, ahead of Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium.
Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub announced Thursday that wide receiver Justin Watson and rookie cornerback Trent McDuffie will get the first shot.
“We’ll start there,” Toub said.
The Chiefs needed to make a change in the wake of rookie wide receiver Skyy Moore’s muffed punt last weekend — his third lost punt of the season. Watson replaced Moore in the next punt formation against the Los Angeles Rams and cleanly fielded a fair catch at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
As a veteran player, Watson figures to be a good option for returning punts. He’s in his fifth NFL season — first in KC — and had four punt returns and two kickoff returns while with his previous team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
McDuffie is another intriguing option, in part because he has some experience from returning punts in college. In three seasons at Washington, McDuffie totaled nine punt returns for 74 yards, averaging 8.2 yards per attempt.
Watson and McDuffie might lack the explosiveness that Moore provides as a returner, but at this point the Chiefs just need a guy to simply field punts dependably.
“They’re both are good catchers and they’re both solid catchers,” Toub said. “Right now, that’s what we need.”
Whomever the Chiefs settle on for Sunday’s game against the Bengals will likely hold down the position until wide receiver Kadarius Toney returns from a hamstring injury. Toub said “it’s safe to say” that Toney, who took over as the Chiefs’ full-time punt returner in Week 10, will return to the role of primary return man once he’s healthy.
“He is probably the best punt returner we have on our roster,” Toub said.
As for Moore, the Chiefs aren’t giving up on their second-round pick. They will continue to have him work with their special teams units with an eye toward the future.
“We just don’t quit on players,” Toub said. “We’re going to keep working him and keep developing him.
“He’s a rookie, he’s going to get better, I’ve said it before. We went to the limit with him, obviously, and we need to get him out of there for a while and let his head settle down a little bit.”
While his punt-return game might need some work, Moore has been developing as a pass-catcher in the Chiefs’ offense. Because of injuries to others at the position — Toney, as well as JuJu Smith-Schuster — Moore has seen more playing time of late.
He’s made the most of that opportunities, too. Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes targeted Moore a season-high six times in each of the Chiefs’ last two games, with Moore making a season-high five catches both weeks.
This story was originally published December 1, 2022 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Here are the two Chiefs players who will have the 1st shot at returning punts Sunday."
