When the Chiefs took Dontari Poe with the No. 11 pick in the first round of the draft, the expectation was that Poe would become the starting nose tackle.
At the start of training camp, coach Romeo Crennel said Anthony Toribio was the starter. Toribio has spent most of his career on practice squads. A motivational tactic for Poe, right? Maybe not.
Poe did not make much of an impact in Friday's preseason game, finishing without a tackle and struggling to get any push at the line of scrimmage. Toribio had two tackles, including one for a loss, during Arizona's second series.
"Toribio made some plays, which we liked," Crennel told the Kansas City Star. "The young Poe, he's still learning, and he gave good effort. He's trying to learn to do the things the way we want them. He's not there yet."
That was more of an endorsement for Poe than Crennel gave last week when he was asked what Poe needed to do to get more playing time.
"A lot," Crennel said. "He needs to work on technique, he needs to work on understanding the system, he needs to get the calls correct all the time. He's got a ways to go."
The plan for Poe is that he play in obvious passing situations in the Chiefs' nickel defense, but even that spot could be up for grabs. Second-year NT Jerrell Powe, who appeared in only one game as a rookie, had a sack against the Cardinals.
"And P-O-W ... he got in there, he made a play," Crennel said. "He's improved from where he was last year... It's not a bad thing to have a couple or three guys to play the position, if they can do it."
Poe was viewed as a player with a lot of potential after his performance at the combine and he figures into the Chiefs' long-term plans. He could work his way into more playing time, as Crennel has made a rookie nose tackle battle for playing time before; Vince Wilfork didn't even start every game as a rookie.
For now, it doesn't look like Crennel is simply trying to make Poe earn his spot; Toribio, it appears, is the better option.
Follow Chiefs reporter C.J. Moore on Twitter @CBSSportsNFLKC and @cjmoore4.