RIVER FALLS, WIS. ? Before training camp opened for the 2002 season, Kansas City Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil issued a challenge to Dante Hall.

“I said, ‘Dante, you make this football team as a wide receiver,'” Vermeil said. “And so far he’s doing it.”

Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil addresses his team following its morning practice. Kansas City went through two practice sessions Tuesday in River Falls, Wis.

Hall’s emergence in camp has been so impressive that Vermeil has already indicated the 5-foot-8, 187-pounder has wrapped up a spot on the roster behind starters Johnnie Morton and Eddie Kennison.

Hall was a fifth-round draft pick by the Chiefs as a running back in 2000. He tried switching to wide receiver last year, but never caught a pass. Instead, he emerged as the team’ s top return man, averaging 22.5 yards per kickoff return and 7.3 yards returning punts. But when 2002 training camp opened, Vermeil made it clear he didn’t want to reserve a roster spot for a player who just returned punts.

“It’s getting harder and harder and harder with that 46 man roster rule. So if you have guys that are specialists, it’s tough,” Vermeil said. “You always have your long snapper, and your place kicker and your punter, well there’s three. And if you keep a guy just to return punts, and he can’t really, really play the game as a wide receiver, you’re hurting the roster.”

Hall fits in perfectly with Vermeil’s vision of putting more speed and quickness on the field, especially at the wide receiver spot. He envisions using the converted running back in three-receiver situations and on third down, much as he used Az Hakim when he coached the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl title in 2000.

Quarterback Trent Green believes Hall fits with the Chiefs’ offense, too.

“When you look at some of the things he does, everybody wants to compare him to Az Hakim because that is the mold we are fitting him into as the third receiver and the punt returner,” Green said. “I would love to see Dante be that guy.”

Hall’s ability to return punts and play wide receiver may not be good news for J.J. Moses, who was expected to battle Hall for the punt return job in training camp.

Vermeil believes Moses, a 5-foot-9-inch, 178-pound second-year player out of Iowa State who spent part of last year on the Chiefs’ practice squad, could be a quality NFL punt returner. He’s just not sure it could be with the Chiefs.

“He loves to play football and would play for 10 bucks a week if he could make the team,” Vermeil said about Moses. “But it’s going to be very tough for him to make the team. He has an outside chance here, not a very good chance because it’s hard to have two little guys.

“Dante’s still our main guy, but J.J. can do it for somebody.”

Notes: Willie Jones, who has been filling in at right tackle for injured John Tait during practice, sat out Tuesday’s workouts with a sore back. Victor Allotey filled in at right tackle with the first offensive unit. Eric Downing filled in at defensive tackle for Derrick Ransom, who missed Tuesday’s practice with a sore shoulder. Defensive tackle Nate Hobgood-Chittick also sat out practice with an injury to his big toe. Cornerback William Bartee picked off a pair of Trent Green passes during the afternoon 11-on-11 drills, stepping in front of Eddie Kennison in traffic over the middle for one and grabbing a ball in the flat that bounced off the hands of Dante Hall.