The Kansas City Chiefs have one more preseason game left with the regular season only a few weeks away.
The rookie class has shown flashes of success in every phase of the game. One player that is expected to contribute immediately is Skyy Moore, but not just in the passing game. Moore’s athletic ability and overall talent are expected to be utilized on special teams to get the most out of the elusive rookie receiver.
Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub praised Moore’s progress with the punt return unit during Monday’s press conference.
“I think he’s building confidence every game,” said Toub. “I really liked that second one where he went after it; it was a short kick. We had a right return call, but there was not a lot of blocking over there, but he still went up and caught it and saved us some yardage, and held onto the ball when he got hit. So, I mean, that was good to see. He’s getting a lot more confident with his catching and his ball reads, so we’ve got to keep working him. I tried to get him as many as I could in that last game.”
Moore returned only three kicks for 21 yards and fielded one punt for no yards throughout his college career at Western Michigan. He’s primarily only had to worry about playing the receiver position in school but now must adapt to this new role quickly.
On the play where he didn’t fair catch the ball against the Commanders, Toub explained that Moore was trying to catch the coverage unit sleeping. It was a risky play, but one that Toub was happy to see the rookie take given the situation. It shows that he has confidence in his abilities.
“If you fair catch it, obviously you can’t return it, so he was trying to steal it,” said Toub, “He was trying to get something out of it. I like his courage right now; that’s a good thing to see. You want to have a returner who is willing to take chances. It’s a tough job. I tell our guys, ‘You’ve got quarterback, then you’ve got punt returner as far as the toughest jobs in the NFL.’ I think it’s hard. You have to have courage, and you have to have toughness. The ball reads and everything that goes along with it. You have to trust your teammates and that they’re going to block for you because you don’t get to see it a lot of times.”
Moore’s impact on special teams is seemingly a right of passage for future Chiefs receivers under Andy Reid. Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman each made an impact in that role. The position requires quick instincts and, most importantly, sound decisions like that moment in Saturday’s win over the Commanders.
“Yeah, the decision-making is huge,” Toub concluded. “That’s a big thing. In a regular season game, a fair catch, I would’ve been fine with that. He made a fair catch on the first one; that was fine. I like the fact that he tried to steal it. That was a good thing to see.”
The Chiefs will continue to work with Moore as he adjusts over the next few weeks while still working to establish himself in the passing game. Moore’s growth will be under a microscope as he begins his professional journey.
