KANSAS CITY, MO. — Well-traveled Ashley Lelie made his case Saturday night for claiming one of the available wide-receiver spots on the Chiefs roster.

Lelie, a former first-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos who is with his fifth team in five years, had to cool his speedy heels until the second half against Seattle. But he caught passes of 33 and 10 yards on consecutive plays from fourth-team quarterback Matt Gutierrez, setting up a field goal in the Chiefs’ loss.
Lelie, 29, a former University of Hawaii star, drew a loud response from the announced crowd of 66,553, which wanted something to cheer for, when he leaped high and used his 6-foot-3 size to beat safety Courtney Greene for a 33-yard gain on a fade pattern. It was the longest pass play in three preseason games by the Chiefs.
On the next play, Lelie got a step on cornerback Kevin Hobbs and caught the 10-yard strike from Gutierrez. Those 43 yards, coming against backups who might not make the Seattle roster, made Lelie the Chiefs’ leader in receiving yards Saturday night.
He finished with a team-leading four receptions for 52 yards.
“This meant everything,” said Lelie, who didn’t join the Chiefs until after the first preseason game. “It meant my job ... any type of opportunity you get, you have to show what you can do. Matt gave me a chance to make a play on every ball he threw.
“I haven’t had that in a while — where I come out of my route and the ball is in the air, and I don’t have to wait on it. It felt good to get into a real offense.”
Gutierrez went to Lelie on the fade again on the first play of the Chiefs’ next possession, but the ball was off-target and intercepted by cornerback Marquis Floyd.
“I think I threw the ball too early on that one,” Gutierrez said. “Ashley made a lot of good plays. It’s nice to have a guy like that to throw to.”
An apparent knee injury to starter Devard Darling could mean a roster spot or added playing time for Lelie or two other veteran receivers trying to extend the twilight of their careers.
Bobby Engram, 36, trying to nail down a slot receiver job, caught four passes, but they went for just 11 yards. Amani Toomer, 34, caught a 13-yard pass right before the 2-minute warning in the second half for his only reception of the game.
Lelie, who played in last week’s game at Minnesota after just a couple of days on the practice field, felt a lot more home on Saturday.
“I got a chance to watch what the starters did and got to see all the calls they were making and all the hand signals,” he said. “An extra week of film and everything helped me a lot. I’ll have another week to get better at learning the offense, running routes and getting on the same page with the quarterbacks.”