The 2019 regular season is just around the corner and still, the Chiefs are playing around with the roster.
Drafted last year as a cornerback, Tremon Smith, an Alabama native, was moved to the running back position last week during the Chiefs training camp, slotting him behind Damien Williams and Carlos Hyde.
The speedy ex-cornerback was drafted by the Chiefs in the sixth round of the 2018 draft and would later play as a kick returner following time at cornerback during two of the first three games last season.
His special teams debut came in Week 4 against the Patriots and he made the most of it, showing great skills and piling up 180 yards on four returns, including an amazing 97-yard return.
Actually, Tremon Smith is no stranger to playing on the offensive side of the ball because he was a quarterback in his high school in Alabama, so it should not be a big shock to him. He’s a guy who likes carrying the ball, and now he’s getting a big opportunity with the Chiefs to get a running back spot on the roster.
Apparently, Andy Reid has been thinking about adding Smith in to the offensive game plan for a while now.
“It was actually brought up last year, mid-way through the season, doing some good kick returns and [Andy Reid] brought it up,” Smith said. “Some packages actually, so it’s been thought of, but it hasn’t happened overnight.”
The Chiefs are already topnotch on offense, but now by adding Smith’s speed, they’re even faster than before.
“Just a lot of speed,” Smith said of what to expect from the offense. “Me, Tyreek [Hill], Mecole [Hardman], D Wils [Damien Williams]; so it’s going to be a lot of speed on the offensive side and hopefully a lot of touchdowns. Being under Coach Reid’s system, he’s going to find mismatches and find a way to get you open.”
The biggest challenge for Smith would be learning the playbook and catching up but he seems confident that he’ll be able to make it. He started out practicing with the second team, along with rookie Darwin Thompson and sophomore Darrel Williams.
The switch caused some of Smith’s defensive teammates to be very surprised though.
“The DB group of course, probably Kendall Fuller,” Smith said. “He was the most surprised and the linebackers were pretty surprised, but they won’t want to chase me now, that’s probably why.”
“I know the thought process,” Smith said. “The safety and corner rotations. Where the blitzes will come from, how they’ll try to fake one side and blitz from the other. It’s just little things like that, that I can pick up faster than an offensive player could.”
There’s a lot of excitement within the organization for this change, but no one seems happier than Smith. “I’m excited,” Smith said. “You’ve got to be excited catching the ball from the MVP.”
Having known both sides on the field, he can get a real advantage over the future defenses he will encounter.
