Five things that stood out about the Chiefs’ preseason-opening loss to the Jaguars

Football is back.

Kind of.

That might be a generous description for the Chiefs’ first outing since hoisting the Lombardi Trophy last February.

The Jaguars beat up on the Chiefs — a 26-13 final in which the Chiefs were held to fewer than 300 yards of offense.

While the result doesn’t count, it left an imprint on wide receiver Marquise Brown, whose debut lasted all of one exhibition snap.

Some good news: It doesn’t count in the standings, and given it included all of four passes from Patrick Mahomes, it’s not really much of an indication of what awaits next month.

But there are some takeaways from the preseason opener.

Such as...

1. The ‘Hollywood’ Brown conundrum

A three-week stint in St. Joseph has provided a reminder of why Marquise Brown was once a first-round pick.

A one-play stint in Jacksonville provided a reminder of why the Chiefs got him on a (relatively) cheap one-year deal.

Brown, who has impressed in training camp, caught the game’s opening pass — but immediately jogged to the sideline and departed with a shoulder injury. He did not return.

It’s the biggest concern for any team in preseason — dealing with an injury to an impact player — but particularly a player who has an extensive injury history.

I’m still among those who believe Brown can have a real impact this season — if he stays healthy.

And that phrase, that qualifier, is underscored a bit more strongly with him.

2. The offensive standout: Carson Steele

The biggest question I have about the Chiefs roster is their depth at running back.

Carson Steele is providing part of the answer.

He was the standout in an otherwise quite lackluster offensive performance Saturday. Steele, an undrafted free agent out of UCLA (after transferring from Ball State), took his first carry 20 yards — but only after forcing three missed tackles. He later scored a touchdown on fourth down, finishing with 4 carries for 29 yards and the score.

There’s been a lot to like about Steele in training camp — there’s a reason the Chiefs have gradually moved up him up the depth chart — but those practices don’t include much tackling. When it translates to a game, and actually looks to be an ever bigger threat in a game, it carries some weight.

The Chiefs are thin in the backfield after starter Isiah Pacheco, and last week, head coach Andy Reid mentioned the possibility of using Steele as a fullback.

That’s merely a bonus, though, because his wrecking-ball style of running the football has its own value.

3. The defensive standout: Jaden Hicks

Jaden Hicks can play.

That’s not just based on a night in Jacksonville but also on the first half of training camp.

But the night in Jacksonville didn’t hurt.

Hicks, a fourth-round pick, made a play on defense. Then he made another on special teams.

In the first quarter, he held the Jaguars to a field goal when he sprinted to tackle Tank Bigsby behind the line of scrimmage after a reception. Later in the half, he tackled Austin Trammell immediately after catching a punt. Both plays put Hicks one-on-one in the open field.

Hicks has earned a role from the jump.

4. A left tackle competition? Maybe not

There’s not a ton to glean from the seven snaps Kingsley Suamataia played in his first time in an NFL uniform, but there is something to glean with the fact he played only seven — even with Wanya Morris sidelined.

It would appear, at least on the face of it, the competition between the two is over.

We’ve long known Suamataia has been the proverbial leader in the clubhouse, but removing him after just one series suggests he’s firmly planted atop the depth chart. The Chiefs don’t believe he needs any additional work relative to the rest of the starters.

5. The Kadarius Toney conundrum

The Chiefs had about a dozen players not appear in the game.

One of them could really use the snaps: Kadarius Toney.

The Chiefs acquired Toney 22 months ago now — a pricey sum, by the way — because of his talent. Well, the talent is there.

But will that be enough to get him yet one more shot?

He’s had plenty. It was one thing after another last season — injuries, the infamous offside penalty to negate the lateral touchdown against the Bills, the accusation that he was healthy while the Chiefs were listing him on the injury report. It was a lot. The Chiefs, though, seemed to think they could harmonize the situation during the offseason, but training camp has only reinforced that last year was no anomaly.

Toney has missed days of camps with separate injuries, and he’s now missed the preseason opener. If camp is any indication, he’s not really a player who can afford to miss time.

He’s playing himself into a precarious position just weeks why of the Chiefs needing to trim their roster to 53.