New Injuries Open the Door for Rising Chiefs Bubble Candidate

Getty Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Malik Herring at training camp.

Day 10 of Kansas City Chiefs training camp came on August 3 and both Charles Omenihu and Mike Danna were absent with calf injuries at defensive end.

That created an opening on the first-team D-line unit and the initial replacement may surprise a portion of fans. “Even with Omenihu and Danna out, Felix Anudike-Uzomah is not working with the first team,” reported ESPN’s Adam Teicher. “[George] Karlaftis and Malik Herring are starting DEs [on August 3].”

Ahead of practice, Arrowhead Pride’s Pete Sweeney predicted that Herring and Joshua Kaindoh would benefit most from the Omenihu and Danna injuries, and he confirmed that to be the case after the day was done. “As I assumed heading in, DE Malik Herring benefitted the most rep-wise with DL Charles Omenihu and DE Mike Danna not practicing,” Sweeney relayed later on. “DE Joshua Kaindoh mixed in as well.”

The Arrowhead Pride insider added that “both [Herring and Kaindoh] need to show out with DT Turk Wharton — off the PUP — likely eating a roster spot.”

Chiefs’ Malik Herring Making ‘Strong Case’ for Roster Spot, Says Analyst

Speaking of Herring, Arrowhead Pride analyst Ron Kopp Jr. included him in an August 2 write-up highlighting three Chiefs bubble candidates that are “making a strong case for the 53-man roster.”

“As I’ve observed the Chiefs’ defensive line in St. Joseph, I have come away believing that Herring simply looks like he belongs on the team — that he should be part of the rotation,” Kopp began, noting: “That might be because he made the initial roster in 2022 — but was only active for seven games, collecting six tackles and a fumble recovery in 88 snaps.”

“Coming into this season, it is probably easy to overlook [Herring’s] development in favor of fresh-faced draft picks — or a veteran on a one-year deal,” he went on. “But in his third season with the Chiefs, the one-time undrafted free agent may just now be coming into his own.”

Kopp reminded that Herring tore his ACL at the 2021 Senior Bowl. Not only did this impact his draft status, but it also eliminated his rookie season and hampered him in year two. After all, experts always say that the knee doesn’t truly recover from an ACL tear until the player is two years removed from the injury.

For Herring, that “full-strength season” would be the 2023 campaign.

“Herring looks like more than just a roster filler,” Kopp pointed out. “He has inside-outside versatility, long, leveraging arms and can provide solid snaps against both the run and the pass.” He concluded that “for now, [Herring] may be seen as the fifth player in the EDGE rotation — but if another player does down, he looks capable of stepping up into a more prominent role.”

Chiefs’ Malik Herring on the Cusp of Roster Spot Despite ‘Impressive’ Start to Training Camp

Coming in to 2023 training camp, it was said that Herring needed to get off to a fast start. He has, but he’s still just on the cusp of a roster spot despite his efforts. In his latest 53-man projection on August 1, Sweeney had Herring making it instead of free agent Carlos Dunlap.

“I had veteran Carlos Dunlap here in my first projection,” Sweeney wrote, “but the longer the situation draws out with [Chris] Jones, the less likely I think Dunlap will find his way back to the roster.”

“As our lead analyst Ron Kopp mentioned in our Sunday camp report, Herring has been impressive,” the Chiefs media member continued, “and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said he noticed his improvement year over year. That’s all been enough for me to make the switch from Dunlap to Herring.”

So, if the third-year prospect is now “in,” why is he still on the cusp? Well, as Sweeney mentioned on August 3, Wharton’s return changes everything.

With Wharton back on the interior, Omenihu will slide back to the exterior, and Herring would then be competing with a rookie draft pick in BJ Thompson — unless, of course, the Chiefs keep six defensive ends in 2023.