KC Chiefs: Byron Pringle made a strong case to be a starter in 2021 season

Byron Pringle impressed for the KC Chiefs in Week 17 and that could pay off.

The Kansas City Chiefs rested their starters in Week 17 because they already had the No. 1 seed locked up. This meant Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins hung out on the sideline while the other wide receivers got to start and show what they could do on the gridiron in a starting role.

One of those wide receivers was former Kansas State receiver Byron Pringle, who has started just three games in his NFL career (including Sunday’s loss to the Chargers). Pringle has impressed in the past, including his key reception Week 4 against the Lions last year that helped the Chiefs etch out a win and his huge game vs. the Colts in Week 5 last season.

This season, however, Pringle has been quiet. A lot of that is because the Chiefs have Hill, Watkins, Mecole Hardman, and Demarcus Robinson ahead of him on their wide receiver depth chart. When he wasn’t buried on the depth chart, Pringle displayed how good he could be and we saw that firsthand on Sunday.

Pringle finished Week 17’s loss to the Chargers with four receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t lead the team in receiving yards, but he most definitely had one of the best performances in the game by far.

With this performance, Byron Pringle showed he has starter potential for the KC Chiefs.

Not only did Pringle ball out against the Bolts on Sunday, but Hardman had a rough game. Many have been disappointed with Hardman so far and it’ll be interesting this offseason to see those two duke it out for who gets to be ahead on the depth chart.

Pringle hasn’t put up sensational stats but as I mentioned earlier, he really hasn’t had many opportunities to do so. Watkins and Robinson won’t be in Kansas City next season and that automatically moves Pringle up the ladder. The Chiefs should look into drafting a wide receiver, but Pringle has definitely shown that he has what it takes to be a reliable option for this offense in 2021 and beyond.

What do you think, Chiefs fans? Could you see Byron Pringle in a full-time starting role for the Kansas City Chiefs or do you think he’d be better suited for a backup role?