The Kansas City Chiefs have had many solid role players come and go over the last handful of years. Some of those skill-specific players grew into fan favorites during their time in Kansas City. So whenever they get to face the Chiefs again, it brings back tremendous memories.
A few former Chiefs will be making their return to Arrowhead Stadium this Monday as part of the Washington Commanders. On the offensive line, both Nick Allegretti and Andrew Wylie filled in well during their time in Kansas City and were part of Super Bowl championships. Elsewhere, depth defensive back and special teams ace Antonio Hamilton had one year with Kansas City back in 2020. He will be handling the dirty work, per se, as the Commanders look to continue their positive results on special teams.
Antonio Hamilton has made his way as trusted player in game's third phase
Antonio Hamilton was with the Raiders for two seasons and the Giants for two seasons before making his way to K.C. In that lone year with the Chiefs, he finished with 330 snaps on special teams and 135 snaps on defense. He was effective in punt coverage and kickoff coverage with the Chiefs. And obviously, he has still carried those results into his Washington tenure.
It is exciting for a former undrafted free agent, out of South Carolina State no less, to make his name on special teams. If a player can continue to improve his craft in that area, teams will be constantly asking you to join them and help turn their special teams units around. Hamilton has done just that, carving out an impressive 10-year career in that mold.
Andrew Wylie gave Chiefs stability on offensive line during crucial time
Andrew Wylie was in the midst of many offensive line changes over the early years of the Patrick Mahomes era. During his time with Kansas City, Wylie began to get starts at guard during the initial part of his run. He filled in at both left guard and right guard from 2018 to 2020. Then in his final two seasons with the Chiefs, Wylie became a trusted piece at right tackle.
Like Hamilton, Andrew Wylie was a former undrafted free agent upon entering the NFL. He has still become an effective piece despite that. Wylie ended up tallying 70 starts with the Chiefs over his five years with Kansas City, including playoffs. He and the rest of the Chiefs' offensive line were seen as the lesser unit going into Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles' pass rush. Yet, they allowed zero sacks en route to that victory.
Wylie has started four games this season in Washington. However, he is currently one of the backups. The Commanders have a rookie right tackle, Josh Conerly Jr. Laremy Tunsil was acquired in the offseason to fill left tackle. To boot, Sam Cosmi just returned at right guard after suffering an injury in last year's playoffs.
Nick Allegretti ended Kansas City run with toughness
As a former seventh-round pick of Kansas City, Nick Allegretti was largely a role player for the Chiefs. He amassed 18 starts with K.C., including playoffs. He offered adequate hand technique coming out of Illinois. His hands were special for the Chiefs in more ways than just blocking.
Kansas City threw him a touchdown pass in the Wild Card round against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the postseason after the 2021 regular season. The pure joy and excitement from he and his teammates made that moment special. Kansas City ended up dominating Pittsburgh for that playoff victory.
Elsewhere in the playoffs, Allegretti stepped up in his last season with the Chiefs. Joe Thuney suffered an injury. This allowed Allegretti to play the final two playoff games of that postseason following the 2023 regular season. The Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII over the San Francisco 49ers. This was the third career Super Bowl ring for Allegretti. Most impressively, though, he finished that game with a torn UCL in his elbow. As a fan favorite already, that boosted Chiefs fans' enjoyment of him even more.
Like Wylie, Allegretti has been relegated to a backup role in Washington. He has started two games so far this season.