ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs running back Knile Davis reported recently that he spent a large portion of his offseason working on his skills as a receiver and pass blocker.
“Oh, yeah,’’ Davis said. “I was in Houston training. I was in Dallas a little bit. All I was working on was my feet and routes because that’s what Andy [Reid] wants to see me do better. Come out of the backfield and run routes, be in the slot, be out wide, things like that. Be more versatile.
“I think I’ve worked on that and I think he can tell the difference and I think he’s gaining confidence.”
Then Davis came out in one of the Chiefs’ two padded practices and dropped two passes.
That’s not to say Davis hasn’t improved. It could have been one bad day for him.
But the early returns aren’t encouraging. And if Davis isn’t better as a receiver and pass blocker, it’s going to be difficult for him to steal playing time away from a healthy Jamaal Charles or ever be a major component of a Reid offense.
If the Chiefs lose Charles to injury, or he needs a break, their third running back might be a better option than Davis, at least when they’re passing the ball. Charcandrick West, who spent most of his rookie season for the Chiefs in 2014 on their practice squad, has displayed a nice ability to elude coverage and then run with the ball in the open field.
In that sense, he’s been like Joe McKnight, who had one glorious day for the Chiefs last year. McKnight caught two touchdown passes for the Chiefs last season to help them to a win over the Miami Dolphins.
West isn’t as fast as Charles or Davis, but he does have one quality in abundance.
“He’s got great quickness,’’ Reid said of West. “That’s a positive from that standpoint. It makes him a little bit different from the other two. He’s little bit smaller. It’s a different look than the other two guys but in a positive way.’’
