Chiefs have good things to say about Felix Anudike-Uzomah

Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna has missed practice Wednesday and Thursday due to a pectoral strain , an indication that second-year lineman Felix Anudike-Uzomah is in line for the second start of his career on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers .

When Danna missed Week 4's matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers due to a calf injury, Anudike-Uzomah saw his first start and an uptick in snap percentage that was 26% above what he usually sees with Danna in the lineup.

In that game, Anudike-Uzomah registered two tackles and three quarterback pressures, which included two hits and a hurry. His pressure total (3) matched that of defensive end George Karlaftis.

"I've been pleased with Felix — and this is a great opportunity for him," said defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo on Thursday. "One guy goes down, another guy gets more reps, and when [Danna] has gotten hurt, Felix's reps have gone up. [The] same will happen with Malik [Herring].

"[Anudike-Uzomah's] getting better and better with whatever he does. He made a mistake [Wednesday] that's sticking out. It was in a walkthrough. But he'll get that one. I'm glad he made it [Wednesday] (laughing) because then he'll fix it in the game. He just keeps building, and that's a good thing."

Defensive tackle Chris Jones, who consistently draws double and triple teams to free up his defensive ends, likes the progress he has seen from the Kansas State product — although he couldn't pass up the opportunity for a friendly jab when it was his turn at the podium Thursday.

"Felix is playing some really good ball," started Jones. "He's coming into himself. I think that happens with repetition, catching the speed of the game coming out of where? K-State. Different type of game, you know what I mean? (now smiling) If it was the SEC, I'd be different about it. I'm biased."

Then Jones more seriously reaffirmed his point.

"He's coming into himself," he added. "He's progressing well. I think that's a lot to do with (defensive line coach) Joe Cullen in the room. [Cullen] continues to demand better out of him, and he's taking it well. Got to continue to be consistent with it and continue to get better off of that, continue to build."

Another one of the defensive leaders of the team, safety Justin Reid, also expressed confidence in Anudike-Uzomah. Reid thinks that he has seen consistent progress from him since the beginning of training camp in St. Joseph.

"Felix really did a great job showing up a lot more, being a lot more consistent and really starting to develop," said Reid, remembering those early practices. "Being in the trenches is one of the harder transitions from college to the NFL — [more] than say, like, skill guys. Skills usually transfer a little bit over, but those big guys in the trenches, once they have a year or two under their belt and get a little bit comfortable in the scheme, they really start to shine.

"Felix has been doing a great job being consistent, showing up, having a great attitude, picking up the coaching points. The guys around him — like Chris, like Mike, like those other guys, George — have been helping him, and I think that's showing up."