Will Kansas City's De'Anthony Thomas Ever Be More Than a Really Good Return Man?

The Kansas City Chiefs have a heck of an athlete in rookie De'Anthony Thomas. Standing just 5'8" and weighing in at 176 pounds according to his ESPN profile, the diminutive running back is fast as hell and shiftier than a carpetbagger in the South during post-Civil War reconstruction. When he gets his hands on the ball he can make magic happen.

So far he's been used primarily as a kick returner which brings one question to mind. Is that as much as he can hope for?

via Reddit

So far this season he has returned three kick-offs for 114 yards (a long of 78) along with 11 punts for 147 yards (long of 28). He hasn't done much with the seven passes he's caught (40 yards), but he did score his lone touchdown on one of his three carries (48 yards).

He's been used a bit in each offensive facet of the game and done well; not necessarily great, but well.

As small as he is it is hard to imagine seeing him be more than a role player on offense. In the NFL there is no way he will be able to survive for long running in between the tackles. He could be the next Darren Sproles (5'6" and 190 pounds), but for that to happen he is going to have to do a lot better than 5.7 yards/carry.

For now that leaves kick and punt returns as his domain if the Chiefs are willing to let him have them. Knile Davis has taken most of the kick-offs, but with role increasing in the running game it would not be surprising if that were to change.

He averages 13.4 yards per punt return which is good enough for fourth in the league. Breaking one or two for a touchdown would certainly help get him a few more attempts...

So--is that all he can hope for? Absolutely not, but he may need to lock that job down with the Chiefs to make sure he will have the chance to prove his worth otherwise.

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