KANSAS CITY, Mo. — His name didn’t appear in the boxscore, but there’s no doubt Chris Oladokun played a key role in Kansas City’s defense holding in check athletic quarterback Justin Fields and the Bears’ offense in a 41-10 thrashing.
It fell to Oladokun to serve as the scout team quarterback this week, giving the team’s defense the look and feel of the Bears mobile quarterback.
“Phenomenal job,” safety Justin Reid said Friday of Oladokun’s performance this week. “Phenomenal job. He was running all over the schoolyard.”
Fields finished the game just 11-of-22 passing for 99 yards with a touchdown, an interception and three sacks. He also rushed 11 times for 47 yards.
Linebacker Willie Gay said after Sunday’s game that Oladokun may have presented a tougher challenge during the week than the one they faced on Sunday.
“He was coming through the middle in practice, shaking and baking and we got we got the perfect look so we knew what we was getting ready for,” Gay said. “Obviously we watched film on Justin so we know what he was trying to do and we limited him enough to get the win and stop them as much as we needed.”
The Kanas City coaching staff focused its attention on Fields this week, highlighting his game-breaking speed. According to Next Gen Stats, last season only two players had more than six touches with a speed topping 20 miles per hour. Those two players were Tyreek Hill (10) and Fields (9). Every member of the Chiefs’ defense seemed to know those numbers almost by heart this week.
“There was only a couple of players that had hit consistently 20 mph and above on runs,” Reid said. “Now it’s Tyreek Hill and Justin Fields. Only two players in the league last year that did it over six times. I think they both did it 10 or plus times. So a lot of speed, a lot of athleticism. He was a first-round high-draft pick for a reason. You know so those things come out to play.”
As the team’s third quarterback and a member of the practice squad, Oladokun typically spent his week studying his own team’s game plan as well as serving as a foil for the defense. He and Blaine Gabbert share scout team quarterback duties, but when the Chiefs face an athletic, mobile quarterback, the bulk of the duties fall to Oladokun.
It’s been fun, running around back there,” Oladokun said Friday.
Oladokun landed in Kansas City last August as a member of the practice squad. Pittsburgh selected him in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and he spent training camp with the club. After he was waived during final roster cuts, the Chiefs signed him to their practice squad as a fourth quarterback.
When the Chiefs opted to waive Shane Buechele during this year’s final roster cuts and he opted to depart for Buffalo, Oladokun moved up the depth chart. But the Chiefs always planned to keep Oladokun as both a developmental project as well as for his unique skillset — mimicking athletic quarterbacks who can make plays with their feet and down the field.
Fields may be a shade faster than Oladokun — Fields ran a 4.44-second 40-yard time at the NFL Combine, while Oladokun posted a 4.68 during his pro day last year. But Oladokun believes he can crack the 20-mile-per-hour barrier too.
“As often as he does? I don’t know about that,” Oladokun said. “I’ll definitely hit 20 miles per hour for sure. It’s been fun. Definitely, I feel like I’m making those guys better and they’re making me better too. It’s been good.”
For much of Sunday afternoon, the Chiefs were better than good against Fields and the Bears’ offense. Defensive lineman Mike Danna said preparing to face a dual-threat quarterback such as Fields is stressful for a defense.
“It’s tough because anytime you got a mobile quarterback or you got somebody who can extend plays with their feet or their arm, they always tend to be a problem,” Danna said. “We got to contain him, everybody got to do their jobs and make sure he doesn’t have any open gaps or blown coverages so show he can showcase that. We want to contain him and slow him down.”
The Chiefs were able to do just that with the help of Oladokun helping train defenders for the speed of the action when Fields uses his feet.
“Just guys bring their eyes, bring their feet, make sure you’re tracking well, just the fundamentals,” Reid said.
Cornerback Trent McDuffie agreed.
“Certain coverages, my eyes aren’t even in the backfield, that’s not my responsibility,” McDuffie explained. “But other times when I’m at nickel, there’s gonna be times when I have to be at least aware of where he is because he has that escapability. So just being able to not only read the routes but every now and then just know where (Fields) is gonna be is the biggest thing this week.”
Linebacker Drue Tranquill, who filled in for injured Nick Bolton as the team’s Mike linebacker Sunday, appreciated having Oladokun replicate what they expected from Fields.
“Chris gave us a great look all week,” he said. “Shook some guys, took some ankles, got outside of the pocket quick, fast. Just did a great job for us, really excited how he prepared us head into the game this week.”
