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[Kansas City Chiefs]

Chiefs Market Movers: OTA edition

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Which Kansas City players are trending up (or down) during organized team activities?

The Kansas City Chiefs’ OTAs march on — and the Royals have two young superstars. It’s a fun time to be a Kansas City sports fan — even if we’re a little starved for Chiefs news and the stadiums’ futures are still in doubt.

As the team heads into its third week of OTAs, we’re keeping an eye on some trending players.

Bulls​

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Offensive tackle Josh Simmons: He’s on the practice field, he’s ahead of pace in his rehab, and the coaches seem to be impressed. That’s all very good news for the Chiefs' first-round pick. We’ll be keeping a close eye on him as the offseason progresses, hoping to get a clearer idea about whether he’ll be a Day 1 starter.

Safety Jaden Hicks: Recently picked by SI and PFF as a breakout candidate, one could argue that Hicks already broke out in his rookie season — meaning that his role will be even more significant in 2025. While he won’t be able to hit anyone during OTAs, we do expect Hicks to be directing traffic in the secondary as he continues to make plays.

The wide receiver room: Given where this team has been at receiver, Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice and Jalen Royals could be developing into something special. Thanks to being forced into the top role in 2024 after Rice’s injury, Worthy is likely ahead of his development curve. Before his injury, Rice was feasting — showing the ability to make plays all over the field. And if the rookie Royals continues to impress, he’s going to be fun to watch. Don’t forget the veterans in the room, either: Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster are going to be in the mix.

Others trending in the right direction: wide receiver Elijhah Badger and defensive backs Major Williams, Nohl Williams and Trent McDuffie.

Bears​

Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Wide receiver Tyquan Thornton: This might be a contrarian point of view, since the former second-round pick has been making a splash at OTAs. But it happens every single season: fast receivers look good in the offseason program. Thornton has been showing off his speed while making lots of plays with quarterback Patrick Mahomes. I just wouldn’t expect that to continue. For Thornton to make the team, he’s going to have to fend off Royals, Brown, Rice and Worthy — not to mention Brown and Smith-Schuster. It’s reasonable to think the excitement for Thornton might fade — although we’d love to be wrong!

Wide receiver Skyy Moore: It feels like we’ve been complaining about Moore too much for too long. The Chiefs have gone to great lengths to keep him on the depth chart. As things stand, it’s hard to see how he can get back on the right track. It’s reported that he’s bulked up during the offseason, leading to speculation he could be used as a hybrid running back. We’ll watch Moore carefully — with more than a little curiosity.

Others trending in the wrong direction: offensive linemen Wanya Morris and Jawaan Taylor, cornerback Nazeeh Johnson and running back Carson Steele.

Value (Sleeper) Pick: Running back Isiah Pacheco ​

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

I think people are sleeping on Kansas City’s running backs — starting with Pacheco. The coaches seem to love where he is after an injury-limited season. When I began reviewing year, it felt like the box scores didn’t quite match up with how solid Pacheco looked. While the Chiefs didn’t find much success with him in the playoffs, back in September, it looked like the former Rutgers back was headed for a strong season. Fast forward to OTAs, and there isn’t anything to keep him from bouncing back in 2025. After all... Kansas City didn’t replace Pacheco. Instead, they added players who could complement his game. That shows they still believe in him. Maybe we should, too.

Source: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2025/6/6/24425070/chiefs-market-movers-ota-edition

 

[Kansas City Chiefs]

Weekend Waypoint discussion: Training camp on the way!

Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

What would you like to talk about this weekend?

As this weekend begins, let’s open it up for whatever you’d like to discuss!

We’d be particularly interested in learning what you think about the Kansas City Chiefs continuing to have training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri. Do you like it there? Or would you prefer it to be somewhere else — like in Kansas City or another location?

Source: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2025...-waypoint-discussion-training-camp-on-the-way

 

[Kansas City Chiefs]

Arrowheadlines: Missouri Senate greenlights plan to keep Chiefs, Royals in state

Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images

Chiefs headlines for Saturday, June 7

The latest​

Missouri Senate approves plan to keep Chiefs, Royals in Kansas City | ESPN

Missouri senators on Thursday approved a plan to provide more than $100 million in aid for tornado-ravaged St. Louis and authorized hundreds of millions of dollars worth of incentives to try to persuade the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals to continue playing in Missouri in new or improved stadiums.

Lawmakers are acting with urgency in a special session because the Chiefs and Royals face an end of June deadline to accept a competing offer from Kansas, and residents in St. Louis are struggling to recover from May storms that caused an estimated $1.6 billion of damage.

The aid measures advanced in a series of early-morning votes only after Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe struck a deal with some holdouts that included more disaster relief money and the potential for property tax breaks for some homeowners facing rising tax bills. The package also contains funding for building projects around the state, including $50 million for a nuclear research reactor used for cancer treatments at the University of Missouri.

Though House approval is still needed, the Senate vote marked a major hurdle, because the stadium incentives stalled there last month. Tornadoes struck St. Louis and other parts of Missouri on May 16, a day after lawmakers wrapped up work in their regular session.

Re-Drafting the 2024 NFL Draft | Bleacher Report

32. Kansas City Chiefs: Troy Fautanu, OL, Washington

Original Pick: Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina (by Panthers)

The Bills originally traded down to this spot and then flipped the 32nd overall pick to the Panthers. In our re-draft, however, Buffalo stays put at No. 28, leaving this pick to the Chiefs.

With Legette off the board, Kansas City decides to pivot to its offensive line and take a flier on Washington’s Troy Fautanu.

The Chiefs know that poor offensive line play—particularly at left tackle—shattered their hopes of winning Super Bowl LIX and completing the NFL’s first-ever three-peat. They’ll go on to add Jaylon Moore in free agency and draft Josh Simmons, but taking a chance on Fautanu at this point makes sense.

Picked 20th overall by the Steelers, Fautanu barely saw the field before suffering a season-ending knee injury. However Simmons is also coming off of a season-ending knee injury, and Fautanu was viewed as a high-end prospect who can move inside to guard if needed. He was ranked 16th overall on the B/R Scouting Department’s final 2024 draft board.

Taking Fautanu here would give the Chiefs another option at left tackle, increasing their chances of finding a reliable starter in 2025. And should Simmons be ready to start at left tackle, Fautanu could help replace guard Joe Thuney, who was traded to Chicago this offseason.

Each NFL team’s biggest offseason loss: 49ers won’t look same without Deebo Samuel; Chiefs to miss Joe Thuney? | CBS Sports

AFC West

Denver Broncos: LB Cody Barton

Kansas City Chiefs: OL Joe Thuney

Las Vegas Raiders: S Trevon Moehrig/CB Nate Hobbs

Los Angeles Chargers: OLB Joey Bosa

The Broncos brought in Dre Greenlaw to replace Barton at linebacker, but Barton was healthy enough to play all 17 games last season and rack up 106 tackles while faring pretty well in the middle of the field in coverage. If Greenlaw can stay healthy and recapture his pre-Achilles-tear form, it’s an upgrade, but it’s still something of a risk.

Thuney remains one of the best offensive linemen in the league, but the Chiefs decided to move on so they could clear out the room to keep the younger Trey Smith on the opposite side of the line. Kansas City will move Kingsley Suamataia inside to guard or else go back to Mike Caliendo at that spot, but either way it will mean an entirely new left side of the offensive line with Jaylon Moore or Josh Simmons at left tackle, and that’s a big deal in front of the best quarterback in football.

Kansas City Chiefs DL coach Joe Cullen is impressed by rookie linemen | Chiefs Wire

“Well, the two are really good. I mean, when you study the draft and our scouting staff, led by our general manager, Brett Veach,” said Cullen, “they do a great job, and they were guys that we identified and had opportunities to really get around and bring them in for a visit, Zoom with them. They both love football, and they’re both football junkies, and they’re really good players.”

The Chiefs added the two defensive standouts, selecting Tennessee’s Omarr Norman-Lott in the second round with the 63rd pick and Louisville’s Ashton Gillotte in the third round with the 66th pick.

“Well, they have great motors; they’re powerful, explosive, and sudden. And both of them at their school, where they’re represented, great in their role,” said Cullen, “When you look at Omarr (Norman-Lott), when you broke down his snaps this past year, he led the NCAA and pass rush win ratio by interior tackles. And then Ashton (Gillotte) played all over the place. He played end and inside. ‘4i’ was powerful. He was explosive when he went back to his junior year. Before his sophomore year, he had 11 and a half sacks. He was playing more on the edge. This year, they moved them inside a little bit. It’s a ‘4i’ kind of like Felix (Anudike-Uzomah) did when he was at K-State. So both those guys are going to bring great energy to the room, and they’re doing that now.”

Around the NFL​

Adam Sandler to cast Ravens’ Derrick Henry if he runs for 2K yards | ESPN

The NFL’s most interesting side bet — one involving Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry and Hollywood’s most famous “Waterboy” — is official.

A 2,000-yard rushing season for Henry this year will get him into the NFL record book — as well as an Adam Sandler movie.

This added incentive originated on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Tuesday, when Patrick told Henry that he would get the five-time Pro Bowl player in a Sandler movie if he surpassed 2,000 yards rushing this season. Two days later, King Henry had a deal with Happy Gilmore himself.

On Thursday, Henry was handed a phone on the practice field that contained a video message from Sandler.

“Two thousand yards-plus this year not only gets you in a movie, but we’ll have a nice dinner together and talk about Dan Patrick’s facial hair and how hard it is for him to grow it,” Sandler said in a video that was posted Friday. “I love ya and keep it up”.

Aaron Rodgers to Steelers winners, losers: Will Mike Tomlin benefit? | USA Today

Minnesota Vikings?

It had to be tempting. Right? Minnesota’s brass continues to – understandably – say glowing things about 2024 first-round QB J.J. McCarthy, whose rookie season ended before it began due to a preseason meniscus injury. But there’s no denying that McCarthy is an unknown professional commodity, and that a team coming off a 14-3 season – thanks in large part to departed Pro Bowl QB Sam Darnold’s inspired play – and with a roster juiced at just about every other position is taking a risk. But rather than replicating Brett Favre’s Packers-Jets-Vikings career-ending path – and how amped up would the already spicy Green Bay rivalry have been by injecting Rodgers back into it? – HC Kevin O’Connell and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah are doing right by McCarthy, putting him on the field with the loaded supporting cast any young passer should have before being asked to shoulder too heavy a burden. Right? Because McCarthy couldn’t possibly be the second coming of Christian Ponder. Right?

Charges are filed in connection with robbery at Richard Sherman’s home | NBC Sports

Earlier this year, former NFL cornerback and current Prime Video analyst Richard Sherman disclosed that his home had been robbed at gunpoint, while his family was home. And arrest has now been made.

Via Brady Henderson of ESPN.com, a 21-year-old Seattle man has been charged in connection with the Sherman robbery and multiple other crimes.

Felony charges have been filed in connection with the Sherman robbery, the burglary of the home of Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez, the burglary of the home of Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo, and the burglary of the home of L.A. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell.

The defendant, who was not named, is being held in the King County jail on $1 million bail.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride​

Chiefs Market Movers: OTA edition

Bulls

Offensive tackle Josh Simmons: He’s on the practice field, he’s ahead of pace in his rehab, and the coaches seem to be impressed. That’s all very good news for the Chiefs’ first-round pick. We’ll be keeping a close eye on him as the offseason progresses, hoping to get a clearer idea about whether he’ll be a Day 1 starter.

Safety Jaden Hicks: Recently picked by SI and PFF as a breakout candidate, one could argue that Hicks already broke out in his rookie season — meaning that his role will be even more significant in 2025. While he won’t be able to hit anyone during OTAs, we do expect Hicks to be directing traffic in the secondary as he continues to make plays.

Social media to make you think​

Our job was to keep Colquitt off the field, NOT off the mic ️ pic.twitter.com/kWoh8MU2qf

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) June 6, 2025​

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Source: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2025...eenlights-plan-to-keep-chiefs-royals-in-state

 

[Kansas City Chiefs]

Can you guess this Chiefs tight end in today’s in-5 trivia game?

Think you can figure out which Chiefs player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game!

We’re back for another day of the Arrowhead Pride in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form.

Today’s Arrowhead Pride in-5 game​

If you can’t see the game due to Apple News or another service, click this game article.

Previous games​

Saturday, June 7, 2025
Friday, June 6, 2025

Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games​

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Arrowhead Pride in-5 instructions​

The goal of the game is to guess the correct Chiefs player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it.

After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form.

Enjoy!

Source: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2025/6/8/24445312/sb-nation-chiefs-daily-trivia-in-5

 

[Kansas City Chiefs]

PFF names Chiefs’ safety to its ‘All-Breakout Team’

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Jaden Hicks is entering his second NFL season and stands to see an uptick in playing time.

On Tuesday, football analytics website Pro Football Focus continued its offseason series with the “2025 All-Breakout Team.”

The Kansas City Chiefs had one player crack the list: second-year safety Jaden Hicks.

SAFETY: JADEN HICKS, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Most attention surrounding the Chiefs’ offseason has rightfully focused on the team’s adjusted offensive line, but Kansas City also must mitigate the exit of safety Justin Reid. That’s where Hicks should step up.

Across 469 snaps in 2024, Hicks recorded an impressive 75.1 overall PFF grade with a 75.7 PFF coverage grade and a miniscule 2.7% missed tackle rate — the third-lowest among qualified safeties. Hicks’ advanced PFF metrics are wildly impressive, such as his 91st percentile run stop rate and 74th percentile forced incompletion rate.

Steve Spagnuolo has earned a reputation for drafting and developing top defensive backs, from Trent McDuffie to Charvarius Ward to Jaylen Watson and more. Hicks, a former fourth-round pick, seems to check all the boxes of the next great Chiefs late-round find.

My take​

Since 2018, the Chiefs have demonstrated a clear-cut strategy at the safety position. As Kansas City invests heavily in the quarterback, defensive tackle and offensive line, it stresses remaining good, cheap and young at the safety position.

Tyrann Mathieu gave way to Justin Reid and Juan Thornhill, a transition that is now continuing with the additions of Bryan Cook and Hicks. PFF referenced its advanced metrics in the write-up, but I often bring up a traditional one from 2024 that stands out among the rest.

Despite finishing 16th in defensive snaps (330) in 2024, Hicks led Kansas City with three interceptions, including back-to-back games with picks against the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans. By comparison, defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah saw the field for two more defensive snaps (332) than Hicks.

With a full workload in 2025, Hicks could very well place himself among the league leaders in takeaways.

Hicks was a good selection, but I also might have considered adding wide receiver Xavier Worthy to the mix. The AFC West saw two other players make it: Los Angeles Chargers edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu and Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer.

Source: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2025...-jaden-hicks-named-pff-all-breakout-team-2025

 

[Kansas City Chiefs]

How will Patrick Mahomes do this season? Take the ‘Reacts’ fan survey

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Let’s hear what you have to say about the Chiefs!

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Kansas City Chiefs fans — and fans across the country.

Sign up here to answer weekly national NFL questions via email — or answer this week’s Chiefs poll right here.

Later in the week, we’ll bring you all the results of this week’s polls. Click here to see recent results.

And be sure to check out FanDuel Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.

Source: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2025...y-june-13-how-will-patrick-mahomes-do-in-2025

 

[Kansas City Chiefs]

ESPN’s ‘looming question’ about Patrick Mahomes

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Should we expect the quarterback’s stats to return to the top of the NFL?

On Wednesday morning, ESPN’s Dan Graziano dropped a column going through every NFL team’s quarterback situation, posing an important question about each.

In the case of the Kansas City Chiefs, their question is quite favorable.

What needs to happen for Patrick Mahomes ‘ stats to return to elite level?

Well, it would certainly help if the Chiefs could protect him better. Can the combination of free agent signee Jaylon Moore and first-round rookie Josh Simmons help shore up the tackle position? Will second-year lineman Kingsley Suamataia be better at guard than he was last season at left tackle?

Getting Rashee Rice back from his knee injury will help the WR corps, as should a full season from Hollywood Brown. The Chiefs may never again be as explosive as they were in the early Mahomes days with Tyreek Hill, Kareem Hunt and prime Travis Kelce . But the offense has shown it can be efficient and effective when the O-line is right.

My take​

I mostly agree with Graziano’s writeup, but let’s unpack it piece by piece.

First, to be clear here: I believe the Chiefs deserve the credit for creating a better pass-protection situation for Mahomes. That said, we definitely need to see how it all plays out.

As he returns from a knee cleanup, Jawaan Taylor projects to serve once again as the team’s starting right tackle. On the left side, Kansas City has two options: veteran Jaylon Moore and rookie Josh Simmons, who is making excellent progress recovering from his college injury.

At left guard, Kingsley Suamataia has been penciled in after a short-lived tackle experiment in 2025. Other possibilities include Mike Caliendo and Hunter Nourzad, who started seven games at left guard for Penn State.

In short, the Chiefs did a commendable job finding potential answers, but each of those answers comes with a level of uncertainty. We don’t need to argue one way or the other, as both can be true — and that’s important to remember.

In Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown (not even mentioning Travis Kelce in a more complementary role), Kansas City has quietly put together one of the league’s better wide receiver trios. The question surrounding the receivers will be availability. Rice has looked good in OTAs, and it seems he will indeed be ready by training camp. We will have to see about a potential suspension.

Worthy appeared in all 17 games last season, while Brown is hoping to bounce back from a season marred by a sternoclavicular (SC) joint injury that cost him almost the entire campaign. Kansas City retained veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster and drafted Jalen Royals to round out a room that should theoretically provide Mahomes everything he needs to succeed.

I agree with Graziano that even if all the above goes to plan, I’m not sure we’ll ever see a repeat of those “Legion of Zoom” days, especially as league-wide defensive theory has shifted to preventing the deep ball. But if Mahomes is well protected and the full arsenal is available, the excuses for a stagnant offense will be gone.

History would dictate that Mahomes will rise to the occasion, planting himself right back in the NFL MVP conversation. The two-time MVP always seems to thrive when the analysis shifts against him — which already happened on Tuesday.

Source: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2025/6/11/24447414/espns-looming-question-about-patrick-mahomes

 

[Kansas City Chiefs]

Chiefs make two roster moves on Tuesday

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Kansas City waived a defensive tackle and took on a second-year tight end.

On Tuesday, the NFL transactions report listed two roster moves for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The team has waived defensive tackle Siaki Ika. Taking his place on the roster is tight end Kevin Foelsch.

Ika was a third-round pick (98th overall) out of Baylor for the Cleveland Browns in 2023. He appeared in four games in his rookie season — getting all of his snaps on special teams — before the Browns released him on 2024’s final cutdown day. He spent time on the practice squads for Cleveland and the Philadelphia Eagles before joining Kansas City’s practice squad in mid-December. The Chiefs signed him to a Reserve/Futures contract after the Super Bowl, but couldn't find a niche for him to fill on the 90-man roster.

Foelsch also spent time on the Eagles’ practice squad in 2024, but only after being with the Carolina Panthers (who signed him as an undrafted free agent out of New Haven in May), the New York Jets (who claimed him on waivers from Carolina only days later) and finally the Eagles, who claimed him on waivers in early August. He spent the season going on and off the Philadelphia practice squad before being released for good in late December.

Now 24, Foelsch checks in at 6 feet 4 and 250 pounds. He appeared in 42 games over four seasons at New Haven, collecting 73 receptions for 660 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Source: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2025/6/11/24447697/chiefs-make-two-roster-moves-on-tuesday

 

[Kansas City Chiefs]

Andy Reid likes what he’s seeing from new left tackle Josh Simmons

Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Kansas City’s first-round rookie is coming on strong — and is showing an attitude that his coaches like to see.

On Thursday, the Kansas City Chiefs conducted the next-to-last practice in Phase 3 of their organized team activities (OTAs) — and just like last Wednesday’s session, reporters were on hand to observe.

Last week marked the first time local media members had seen the team’s first-round draft pick Josh Simmons on the field with his teammates. He was back out there on Thursday — and head coach Andy Reid is happy with what he’s been seeing from the former Ohio State left tackle, who has been working his way back from a patellar tendon injury he suffered last October.

“He’s doing a nice job,” said Reid after practice. “We weren’t sure quite how much we were going to be able to get out of him, but he looks strong. He’s been jumping in and taking the team reps now — he was just doing the individual stuff before — and you can definitely see the talent. He’s gotta keep learning the stuff that [offensive line coach] Andy [Heck’s] teaching him — fundamentally [and] technique-wise — but he sure has a good attitude about it.”

Reid acknowledged that the team had been taking it slow with Simmons.

“We’ve done that with him,” he admitted, “and he’s asked for more. We’ve kind of kept backing him up here and easing him into it. But you could tell that he rehabbed — [and] did a nice job with it. Obviously the people that did the surgery did a nice job, so it looks like he’s in good shape.”

Reid then took another opportunity to emphasize how much the coaching staff likes Simmons’ attitude.

“He’s here quite a bit,” he observed. “He’s one of those guys that you’ve got to kind of kick out of the building.”

Source: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2025...-andy-reid-likes-what-he-sees-in-josh-simmons

 

[Kansas City Chiefs]

Chiefs OTA observations from Thursday’s Day 9

Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Everything that went down during Kansas City’s ninth organized team activity session of 2025.

On Thursday, the Kansas City Chiefs conducted their ninth organized team activity (OTA) session of the 2025 season at their practice facility on the grounds of the Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City.

This was the third (and final) voluntary OTA practice open to the media. Arrowhead Pride editor-in-chief Pete Sweeney was there. He posted some observations on social media — starting with the weather.

Thursday's practice took place under a muggy and humid overcast, with temperatures remaining in the mid-70s from start to finish.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 12, 2025​

Just five players were absent from Thursday’s session.

In this look, we did not see WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, TEs Travis Kelce and Tre Watson, RG Trey Smith and LB Drue Tranquill. Tight end Jake Brinningstool was present with no helmet.

WR Hollywood Brown, TE Jared Wiley, OT Jaylon Moore and DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah were all limited.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 12, 2025​

One veteran running back had to leave practice early...

RB Kareem Hunt left practice early after it appeared he might have jammed a finger trying to catch a pass (we don't get official injuries in OTAs).

Hunt: "[The hand's] alright, man. It will be alright... We'll see (about Friday's practice). Take it day by day, it ain't bad."

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 12, 2025​

...while the rookie left tackle stayed in the whole time.

Rookie LT Josh Simmons continued to do everything, something that has delighted head coach Andy Reid.

Reid on Simmons: "He looks strong, he's been jumping in and taking the team reps, which he was just doing the individual stuff before, and you can definitely see the talent.…

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 12, 2025​

For the third time, Trey Smith was absent when reporters were there to watch.

Smith did not appear at any of the voluntary OTA sessions open to media members (Days 3, 6 and 9), and club is unsure if he will be at mandatory minicamp next week. More on that here: https://t.co/wEI83f2dp0

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 12, 2025​

Right off the bat, Jaden Hicks made a big play.

One of the better defensive plays happened in the opening 7-on-7 period on the very first rep, with S Jaden Hicks breaking up a deep pass from Patrick Mahomes down the left sideline to Xavier Worthy.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 12, 2025​

Hicks on the play: "It's a corner blitz. I know I got the one, seen Xavier Worthy, that's a speedy guy. Just try to stay on top of him and make the play. That just shaked out for me."

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 12, 2025​

Reporters watched as Patrick Mahomes and Rashee Rice worked on their chemistry.

In the same period, it looked like Mahomes and WR Rashee Rice were working on an option route. The first attempt resulted in a miscommunication before Rice made the play three reps later, whipping outside. Cool moment to see chemistry developing on the fly.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 12, 2025​

Rookie Brashard Smith made a big play against the team’s new veteran cornerback.

Later in 7s, rookie RB Brashard Smith lined up outside one-on-one against CB Kristian Fulton with a 'go' route call. Smith showcased that sub-4.4 speed and got about three steps on Fulton, and Mahomes delivered it deep down the field for a touchdown.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 12, 2025​

Reid on Smith: "I like what he does, he's got good speed and good [route running] as part of his game."

Reid added it's tough to gauge RBs and LBs in this passing camp. He wants to see that translate to pads in St. Joseph.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 12, 2025​

Nazeeh Johnson turned some heads while his hands were covered.

Also in 7s, CB Nazeeh Johnson jumped a Gardner Minshew pass intended for WR Justyn Ross, bringing in the interception even while wearing the muzzle training clubs to prevent tugging. Impressive play without the gloves, more impressive with them.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 12, 2025​

The team did some preparation for the Raiders.

The next 11-on-11 period featured ones up against twos, preparing for the Las Vegas Raiders with scout teams. Reid revealed that the Los Angeles Chargers were the previous day. The last OTA week has clearly been about preparing for the AFC West.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 12, 2025​

The starting running back and the backup tight end both snared touchdown passes.

The final 11-on-11 period saw the ones up against the ones. Inside the 10-yard line, Mahomes threw a short touchdown pass to RB Isiah Pacheco. At the goal line, he found TE Noah Gray for a score.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 12, 2025​

At other times, it looked like the Chiefs were working on the deep ball.

Throughout the practice, I noticed Mahomes and Worthy are emphasizing work on connecting deep down the field. Thursday's look saw a couple of missed conversions as they continue to crank away at it.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 12, 2025​

Going from their own 30 in the last 11s period, Gray made a diving catch over the middle. A few plays later, rookie DT Omarr Norman-Lott broke up a Mahomes pass intended for Gray, which earned some vocal praise from the quarterback.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 12, 2025​

As usual, the quarterback spread the ball around...

Mahomes targets (11-on-11): Rice (4), Worthy (4), Gray (3), WR Skyy Moore (2), WR Tyquan Thornton (2), RB Elijah Mitchell, RB Isiah Pacheco, WR Nikko Remigio

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 12, 2025​

...and Pete grabbed some video.

Practice look-in: wide receiver individual pic.twitter.com/SYgLNqmHc6

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 12, 2025​

The Chiefs will have their final Phase 3 OTA session on Friday. It will be closed to the press. Then on Tuesday, the team will open its three-day mandatory minicamp. We’ll be covering every one of those practices.

Source: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2025/6/12/24448306/chiefs-day-9-ota-observations-june-12

 

[Kansas City Chiefs]

Misleading Jalen Hurts statistics lead to great news about Patrick Mahomes

Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images

While the Philadelphia quarterback recently got the best of his Kansas City counterpart, he still has a long way to go.

While minding my own business last week, I ran across a social media graphic. Posted a couple of weeks after the Kansas City Chiefs’ 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, it was labeled “47 Games in and Hurts CRUSHES Brady. Path to GOATness.”

That’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?

There’s just one problem: this comparison has been deliberately manipulated to make Hurts look better. It compares Brady’s second through fourth seasons (ending in 2003) to Hurts’ third through fifth seasons (ending in 2024).

But if we make this comparison the right way — comparing the two players’ first four seasons as starters (Brady only played in one game as a rookie, while Hurts started four games in his first season) — it tells a much different story.

Once again, Hurts compares very favorably to Brady. But a closer examination reveals two things.

The first is that the “Awards & Honors” section provided by Stathead is missing from the first graphic. That was probably a deliberate omission, too — because it reveals the most important reason Brady’s first four seasons as a starter were so special: he had collected three Super Bowl rings, compared to just one for Hurts.

The second is that a big chunk of the statistics where Hurts was way better than Brady are essentially the result of the Eagles’ signature tush push play. Of Hurts’ 52 rushing touchdowns during this time, 45 were in goal-to-go situations — and 35 of those were for two or fewer yards.

Still, even if we ignore the tush pushes, we can certainly say that Hurts was a better rusher than Brady was during their early seasons. But that isn’t a high bar to clear, is it? Even as a young player, Brady wasn’t much of a rusher. In the last four seasons, 46 NFL quarterbacks have had at least three rushing touchdowns — exceeding the two Brady registered in his first four seasons — while 45 have outgained Brady’s 2001-2004 rushing yards.

By now, you must be asking why we should care that some Eagles fan — caught up in the excitement of their team knocking off the mighty Chiefs on the precipice of a three-peat — ginned up a misleading statistical comparison between Hurts and Brady. Honestly... there were probably a few Chiefs fans who did something similar after Kansas City won Super Bowl LIV.

Here’s why: because it reminds us there is another quarterback who played just one game in his rookie season before rising to the top of the league. Let’s compare the first eight seasons for Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady, shall we?

There isn’t a single category in this comparison in which Mahomes does not at least tie the greatest quarterback of all time.

My work here is done.

Source: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2025...statistics-lead-to-great-patrick-mahomes-news

 

[Kansas City Chiefs]

QB Gardner Minshew is the kind of backup Andy Reid always wants

Photo by Bruce Yeung/Getty Images

Throughout his time in Kansas City, the head coach has always acquired the same kind of backup quarterback.

Many people are creatures of habit. Once they find a formula that works for them, they stick with it until they die.

I’m one of them. I love all sorts of ice cream, but nothing beats soft-serve vanilla in a waffle cone.

When it comes to his backup quarterbacks, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is the same way — except in his case, Gardner Minshew is the soft-serve vanilla, and the Chiefs’ offense is the waffle cone.

Reid doesn’t want sprinkles or hot fudge on his backup. He wants someone dependable — a veteran who can step in when he’s needed, work within the offense, make all the throws and steady the ship.

“He’s been there,” Reid said of Minshew after Thursday’s OTA practice. “He’s started. He’s got the confidence of the guys around him. Patrick knows he’s been in there and done it, so they can bounce things off each other.

“It’s always good to have peers that have played. I think on game day, he’ll be great with Patrick, just with what he’s seeing from the sideline and what Pat’s seeing when he’s in there.”

Photo by Bruce Yeung/Getty Images

As for Minshew, he’s just grateful for the opportunity.

“I love it, man,” he declared. “[I’m] so happy to be a part of this — [and] super grateful for Coach Reid bringing me in and giving me an opportunity.”

Minshew, who has 46 starts for four different teams over a six-year NFL career, acknowledged the challenge of learning Reid’s complex offense.

“I feel like there’s so much to learn,” he said. “I’m looking for any way to help this team, help this organization and be a part of something special.”

Still, he believes the offense suits him well — particularly in what it gives the players.

“It’s a lot of giving the tools to the players to be successful — letting guys kind of do what they think is right out there,” he explained. “It’s a lot of fun playing that way — and having guys around you who know how to play that way.”

This pairing has been a long time coming. Before the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him in the sixth round (178th overall) back in 2019, Minshew met with the Chiefs.

“I remember visiting here,” he recalled of the experience, “and how good I felt leaving here — with Coach Reid and the staff in place and the offense and everything they were doing. So I think it’s been on my radar for a long time.”

But while playing as a backup under Reid could give Minshew’s career a boost, he’s not focused on anything beyond this season.

“When you’re learning,” he explained, “[and] you feel like you’re getting better — moving closer to the person you want to be [and] the player you want to be — then that’s a successful year.”

The most important part of a backup quarterback’s job is having a good relationship with the starter. For Minshew, working with Mahomes has already been enlightening.

“It’s easy to see all the highlight plays [and] the big throws,” he noted. “You see that every day on the practice field. But what I really wanted [was] to come here and see is how [Mahomes] prepares — not just in the building, [but] how he gets his body right [and] how he trains. I think he does everything at the elite, highest level. There’s just so much to take from that.”

We’re all hoping that Minshew only takes the field in the preseason — or during a 50-point blowout of his most recent former team: the Las Vegas Raiders. But if his number is called, there will be comfort in knowing the team will be in steady hands.

That’s all you can ask from soft-serve vanilla in a waffle cone.

Source: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2025...rdner-minshew-was-the-backup-andy-reid-wanted

 

[Kansas City Chiefs]

Can you guess this Chiefs running back in today’s in-5 trivia game?

Think you can figure out which Chiefs player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game!

We’re back for another day of the Arrowhead Pride in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form.

Today’s Arrowhead Pride in-5 game​

If you can’t see the game due to Apple News or another service, click this game article.

Previous games​

Saturday, June 14, 2025
Friday, June 13, 2025

Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games​

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Arrowhead Pride in-5 instructions​

The goal of the game is to guess the correct Chiefs player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it.

After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form.

Enjoy!

Source: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2025/6/15/24449564/sb-nation-chiefs-daily-trivia-in-5

 

[Kansas City Chiefs]

In this week’s ‘Reacts’ poll, Chiefs’ fans think Patrick Mahomes will have a big year

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Sign up here to join SB Nation NFL Reacts.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Each week, we send out questions to the most plugged-in Kansas City Chiefs fans. You can see all of the recent survey results here.

And be sure to check out FanDuel Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.

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Patrick Mahomes’ production in 2025​

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This week, we asked two questions about how much success Kansas City’s quarterback will have in the coming season.

Almost nine in 10 Chiefs fans believe that Patrick Mahomes will accumulate at least 4,000 passing yards this season — and about one in three think he’ll once again throw for at least 5,000 yards.

A smaller percentage of fans — just one in 10 — think Mahomes will again clear 50 touchdown passes. But a slight plurality (just over two in five) think he’ll connect for at least 40.

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Click here to see other recent survey results.

Source: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2025...ll-june-13-patrick-mahomes-will-have-big-year

 

[Kansas City Chiefs]

Chiefs’ three-day mandatory minicamp begins Tuesday

Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Reporters can attend every session, and we’re expected to hear from Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes on Thursday.

The Kansas City Chiefs conclude Phase 3 of the 2023 offseason program this week with mandatory minicamp — which occurs Tuesday through Thursday at the team’s practice facility.

The Chiefs’ offseason program began with Phase 1 in mid-April — with rookie minicamp in early May and voluntary workouts in late May and early June. After this minicamp, the team will break and reconvene for training camp, which is expected to begin sometime in mid-July.

Unlike the first portion of organized team activities (OTAs), players must attend all three days of mandatory minicamp — and those who do not are subject to daily fines, per the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Players with unexcused absences are subject to $17,462 for the first missed day, $34,925 for the second and $52,381 for the third.

Franchise-tagged right guard Trey Smith was absent for the three media looks at previous OTA sessions. It’s unclear if he will attend this camp.

These mandatory practices continue under the same rules as the voluntary ones:

Phase Three consists of four weeks. Teams may conduct a total of 10 days of organized team practice activity, or “OTAs”. No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are permitted.

Article 22 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulates that clubs may hold one mandatory minicamp for veteran players. This minicamp, noted below, must occur during Phase Three of the offseason program.

Media members will attend all three days of mandatory minicamp, which means we will be relaying updates on these pages.

Several Chiefs players are expected to speak with reporters after Tuesday and Wednesday’s practices. Head coach Andy Reid is scheduled to talk after Thursday’s workout.

Source: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2025/6/16/24450335/chiefs-three-day-mandatory-minicamp-begins-tuesday

 

[Kansas City Chiefs]

Mandatory minicamp observations from Tuesday’s Day 1

Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Everything that went down during Kansas City’s first mandatory minicamp session of 2025.

On Tuesday, the Kansas City Chiefs conducted their first mandatory minicamp session of the 2025 season at their practice facility on the grounds of the Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City.

Arrowhead Pride editor-in-chief Pete Sweeney was there. He posted some observations on social media — starting with a crowd.

Tuesday's initial mandatory minicamp workout coincided with a 'First Look' event for select season-ticket holders, who watched along. Even a little crowd noise livens up the atmosphere. Overcast day in the mid-to-high 70s throughout.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 17, 2025​

Just one player was truly absent — and there were four newcomers.

Attendance for minicamp was near-perfect, with only TEs Tre Watson and Jake Briningstool held out. Briningstool attended the practice but did not have a helmet. The #Chiefs also hosted 4 tryout players: WR Tanner Knue, TE Geor’Quarius Spivey, OT Ricky Lee and C Joe Lombard.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 17, 2025​

A few players were held back from some activities.

I spotted 4 players who appeared to be limited in some capacity: DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah, OTs Jaylon Moore and Jawaan Taylor and TE Jared Wiley. OT Josh Simmons continued to do everything and updated reporters on his recovery progress after the workout.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 17, 2025​

More on Simmons and his continued progress returning from the torn patellar tendon he suffered during his final collegiate season at Ohio State: https://t.co/o7mc3S0usw

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 17, 2025​

Trey Smith was present and accounted for.

Franchise-tagged RG Trey Smith attended the Tuesday practice. Last week, the Chiefs were unsure Smith would be there, but his presence avoids any fines as his reps work toward a long-term deal.

DT Chris Jones had some playful words for Smith on the contract: "I did things a…

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 17, 2025​

And so was Travis Kelce.

In my opinion, Travis Kelce did indeed look slimmed down and moved well throughout the look.https://t.co/6mNmsd9Afi

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 17, 2025​

Patrick Mahomes and his starting running back wasted no time.

On the first play of 11-on-11, RB Isiah Pacheco lined out wide and beat CB Trent McDuffie down the right sideline, catching a pass that likely would have went for a touchdown. WR JuJu Smith-Schuster fought off McDuffie to bring in a pass a few plays later.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 17, 2025​

In Mahomes' next turn, he floated a pass to the left numbers to connect with WR Jason Brownlee, who launched up off the ground to bring in a tough contested catch against S Bryan Cook. The back-end of the WR room is one of the more interesting deep battles heading to summer.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 17, 2025​

The defensive backs got in a few licks.

In the same period, CB Nohl Williams leapt and torqued his body to intercept QB Gardner Minshew. WR Justyn Ross made an outstanding catch from QB Chris Oladokun on an out-breaking route to the right sideline.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 17, 2025​

But Mahomes can always fight his way back.

Mahomes ended the period in the red zone with touchdowns to RB Brashard Smith and Kelce, who navigated soft coverage and sat down in a middle-window for Mahomes. Even though it was a 2-yard touchdown, Kelce danced for the crowd.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 17, 2025​

The backup quarterbacks got on the field, too.

In Minshew's final plays during this period, rookie DE Ashton Gillotte would have had a sack in a contact practice. LB Cole Christiansen broke up a Minshew touchdown pass intended for TE Robert Tonyan. QB Bailey Zappe tossed a score to Ross.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 17, 2025​

Then it was on to 7-on-7 drills.

To start his 7-on-7 period, Mahomes connected with Kelce, Tonyan and Rice before Smith-Schuster made an impressive diving catch to bring the ball in. Mahomes nearly was perfect before DB Chamarri Conner broke up a pass intended for Smith.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 17, 2025​

Later in 7-on-7, S Major Williams deflected an Oladokun pass up and into the hands of LB Brandon George.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 17, 2025​

The workout continued with RZ 7-on-7, and Mahomes threw scores to Rice and Smith-Schuster, who tapped two feet in as DC Steve Spagnuolo disputed. The two embraced in a fun moment, caught by the @Chiefs video team. Smith-Schuster would add another score later in the final 11-on-11…

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 17, 2025​

Justyn Ross and Elijhah Badger both made plays.

Also in RZ 7-on-7 work, Ross tapped two feet in the back of the end zone to record a touchdown from Minshew, and WR Elijhah Badger made a one-handed grab from Oladokun just inside the front right pylon despite a defender being in his face.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 17, 2025​

Pete toted up Mahomes’ targets on the day.

Mahomes' 11-on-11 targets: Smith-Schuster (4), Brownlee, TE Noah Gray (3), Rice (3), Kelce (2), Moore (2), Pacheco (2), Ross, Smith, WR Tyquan Thornton, WR Xavier Worthy

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 17, 2025​

The Chiefs will have the second of three mandatory minicamp sessions on Wednesday — and Pete will be back with more observations.

Source: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2025/6/17/24451104/chiefs-mandatory-minicamp-observations-june-17

 

[Kansas City Chiefs]

Chiefs’ Travis Kelce is ‘only interested in Super Bowl rings’

Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

Kansas City’s superstar tight end took the Super Bowl loss hard — but is focused entirely on bouncing back in 2025.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce was not in evidence during the OTA practice sessions that were open to reporters during the last three weeks. But as expected, the team’s most famous tight end — who had been reported to have dropped 25 pounds during the offseason — was on the practice field for this week’s mandatory minicamp practices.

Speaking with reporters after Wednesday’s session, Kelce pushed back on the weight-loss report.

“First of all, I never said that,” he laughed. “Don’t believe all you read on the internet, guys, all right? never told anybody that. I mean, I’m down some weight from the end of the season last year — but each year is different, man. You’ve got to rebuild it.

“This year, I got some time to really focus on some form running and some things early on in the offseason that I just didn’t have time for last year. [I’m] certainly feeling good — and I think [the lost weight] will pay off.”

According to Kelce, he has simple expectations for the coming season.

“Just to be the best,” he declared. “Yeah, [to] be the best teammate — be the best leader — I can. Last year, I think I failed — especially in that last game — at being a leader and being the one that can step up and make plays.”

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

The tight end was happy to be more specific.

“I just didn’t make the plays that I thought I should have made,” he recalled of the team’s Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. “I didn’t get open in certain situations. [I wasn’t] blocking the right guys [or] having my attention to detail. [I wasn’t] motivating my guys to get the energy and the focus and the confidence that we needed during that game. I just felt like I failed my guys.”

But Kelce wanted to be clear about something else, too: to him, “being the best” means winning a championship. Nothing else.

“That’s the only way I determine whether it’s a success or not,” he explained. “It’s just kind of how I’m wired now. Earlier on in my career, I would set those goals for myself. [Now,] I just think it’s more of a genuine feeling — and the right mentality — to just go out there and try to make every play for my team... whether it’s receiving or blocking or doing whatever I need to do.”

In fact, Kelce is so focused on winning another Super Bowl that he wasn’t even interested in the 2024 AFC Championship rings that were laid out on a table for the players as they left Tuesday’s practice.

“Everybody has their own view on it,” he said. “Unfortunately for me, I’m only interested in Super Bowl rings. I know what the AFC championship means to this organization and the family — and the 15 wins is something special that I let everybody else be happy with. [But] last year wasn’t a success for me. I’m motivated to make sure that we get that other ring this year.”

And if you’re concerned that Kelce has filled his life with too many distractions — like the trip he and his brother Jason made to Cannes, France on Monday — he wants to set your mind at ease.

“Football is always going to be No. 1,” he declared. “I love this game. It’s still my childhood dream. When I really thought about it this offseason, I got back to just wanting to focus more on this game — and getting [as much] out of this game as I possibly can while I’m still putting on the cleats and putting on the pads.

“So this will always be No. 1 in terms of my business world and my career path. With that being said, everything else is just kind of making sure that I’m accountable [to] the people that I’ve agreed to team up with — like the podcast and going over to France.”

Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images

Even as a 35-year-old celebrity with a world-famous squeeze, Kelce wants to stay hungry.

“It’s all I know, man,” he reminded his listeners. “I get that from the big guy. Coach Reid has set the tone. He challenges us every single week — every single year — to come in and be better than what we were last year.

“[I’ve] kind of inherited that over the course of being under Coach Reid throughout my 12 years here; it’s just it’s a mentality that I know is going to set us up for success down the road — [because] we might not be the same team that we are in preseason that we are in late December, early January and hopefully February.

“With that kind of mindset, no matter what you accomplish, you’re always thinking about the next play and the next game — and being better than your last.”

Source: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2025...vis-kelce-only-interested-in-super-bowl-rings

 

[Kansas City Chiefs]

Andy Reid says Rashee Rice, Josh Simmons will be ready for start of training camp

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

It was good news from Reid on two of the most important Chiefs players entering the 2025 NFL season.

On Thursday, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid brought favorable news to the podium as the club closed down for the summer: He confirmed both wide receiver Rashee Rice and offensive tackle Josh Simmons should be full participants at the start of training camp in late July.

Rice missed the rest of the season after a Week 4 knee injury against the Los Angeles Chargers. Simmons slid to the Chiefs at pick No. 32 because of the patellar tendon tear he suffered at Ohio State in mid-October — a setback that continues to look like it created a bargain for Kansas City.

Reid added that given his recovery progress, Simmons could potentially start Week 1 for the Chiefs — if he can win the job against veteran Jaylon Moore.

“You can see [Simmons’] athletic ability; you can see his want-to,” said Reid. “He’s got a great attitude. He’s approached everything the right way, plus a little bit extra. You could tell if you just want to look at his rehab, you can see that he had a mindset that, ‘I’m going to get in there. It’s not going to be training camp. It’s going to be now.’”

On Wednesday, Simmons told reporters he is sometimes rehabbing two or three times a day to be ready.

“He worked his tail off to get there,” continued Reid of Simmons. “So you respect that part of it. He’s done a nice job in there, he’s worked well, and we’ll just see. We’ll see what training camp does. Some of it is different when things are flying fast up there, and you’ve got full contact and pads on. We’ll see how he does.”

Tight end Jared Wiley, who tore his ACL during a November practice, dressed for mandatory minicamp but was limited throughout. Reid is also optimistic about his status.

“I think we’re going to be OK there,” said Reid of Wiley. “He got some work here the last couple of days, so I think we’ll be fine there.”

All of the Chiefs' players report to St. Joseph for training camp on July 21. Behind a productive offseason, Reid has opted to forgo the usual opening week of camp that includes three practices for quarterbacks and rookies.

Source: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2025...-rashee-rice-josh-simmons-ready-training-camp

 

[Kansas City Chiefs]

UDFA Spotlight: Can Jake Briningstool make the Chiefs' active roster?

Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

The former Clemson standout has drawn attention during Kansas City’s recent practices.

After the NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs signed tight end Jake Briningstool as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Clemson. Briningstool had become one of the most decorated tight ends to ever play for the Tigers.

While the Chiefs seem pretty set at the position (with Travis Kelce, Noah Gray and Jared Wiley all likely to make the team), an impressive camp and preseason could earn Briningstool the fourth chair in the tight end room.

Background​

A four-star recruit out of Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, Tennessee — a suburb of Nashville — Bringingstool was targeted by more than two dozen colleges, including Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Oregon, South Carolina and Texas A&M. Over 48 games at Clemson, he recorded 127 catches for 1,380 yards and 17 touchdowns, setting an all-time Tiger record for career receptions by a tight end, while finishing second in career receiving yards and touchdowns.

Checking into the NFL Combine at 6 feet 6 and 241 pounds, 31 1/2-inch arms and 8 5/8-inch hands, Briningstool displayed a good physical build, which is the foundation for his game and playing style. He turned in a 4.75-second 40-yard dash (with a 1.6-second 10-yard split), a 31-inch vertical jump and a broad jump of 9 feet 7.

Jake Briningstool is a TE prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored a 6.28 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 497 out of 1332 TE from 1987 to 2025.https://t.co/YPT5USsrVF pic.twitter.com/uHVQRLjTDm

— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 9, 2025​

Although his athletic testing shows him to be a modest athlete, Briningstool plays the game with good fundamentals — and when targeted, he catches it effectively.

Clemson TE Jake Briningstool over the past two seasons:

111 Targets
3 Drops pic.twitter.com/NKbHrBTQd5

— PFF College (@PFF_College) February 21, 2024​

At Clemson, Briningstool used his large frame to make contested catches over the middle of the field — and even provided some tackle-breaking upside. A crafty player, he also demonstrated a knack for making downfield plays once his quarterback had left the pocket — a valuable skill for a Kansas City tight end.

Film evaluation​

While tight ends aren’t the centerpiece of the Tigers’ offense, Briningstool made the most of his chances.

Jake Briningstool has a big frame, and he used it to help make contested catches. He does a good job of fighting off the DB, concentrating, and hauling in the contested catch with one hand. pic.twitter.com/s7DTWCiORj

— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) May 29, 2025​

Here, Briningstool runs a crossing pattern over the middle. As the pocket collapses around him, the quarterback scrambles in the same direction as his tight end, throwing just before he’s flushed to the sidelines. Briningstool stops his route, working himself into position to make the grab, boxing out the defensive back and making an impressive one-handed catch for a first down.

Briningstool created solid chemistry (and synchronicity) with quarterback Cade Klubnik during his final season at Clemson — displayed not just in these contested catches, but also with his impressive catch radius.

Briningstool is working downfield and showing off his catch radius. Way to watch the ball and extend to snag it. I do like his upside as a larger contested catch threat and low red-zone player for KC. pic.twitter.com/VBPPqnCo87

— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) June 7, 2025​

Running a corner route on this play, Briningstool initially works through different layers of coverage undetected. As the outside receiver runs a vertical route, the defensive back sticks with him — but finally spots Briningstool breaking into space. While the defender is able to close the gap, the tight end showed he isn’t afraid of laying out in space, making a phenomenal diving catch of Klubnik’s throw.

Clemson mostly used Briningstool as a zone-beater, so he developed a good understanding of running routes to find defensive openings.

Bringingstool isn't the most athletic in the world, but once he gets going, his big frame helps him to break through tackles. Good concentration on catching the ball and fighting through the contact. pic.twitter.com/xSQ9qQqZlo

— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) June 7, 2025​

On this play — in combination with the inside receiver — Briningstool runs inside the numbers while the running back begins leaking out of the backfield. The linebackers key in on the back, while the defensive backs stick with the inside receiver on his vertical route. This leaves Briningstool with a small pocket of space. Klubnik sees this and fires a good ball to his tight end, who comes up just short of the end zone.

Good work by Briningstool to find the hole in the zone and sit down. He works his way past the LB and does a good job of shutting the route down and looking the ball in as the defenders close in on him. pic.twitter.com/6jOwDQVGid

— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) June 7, 2025​

This snap isn't anything special, but it does show Briningstool’s good awareness. He times his route to work his way around a defender to find the defense’s soft spot.

With this good awareness — and an ability to read defenses — Briningstool could succeed in a Chiefs system that utilizes built-in reads intended to dice zone defenses and find downfield openings.

The bottom line​

When Kansas City’s training camp gets underway, the tight end room will be packed. Briningstool will have an uphill battle to make the roster.

After Kelce, Gray and Wiley, the team might carry a fourth right end. Briningstool (and fellow rookie Tre Watson) will have to compete against eighth-year veteran Robert Tonyan, who may be in town to play the role once filled by Blake Bell: the team’s blocking tight end.

The problem for Briningstool is that while he does provide value as a solid route-runner who can make contested catches and beat coverage zones, he will need to improve in other areas. He doesn’t bring much as a run blocker — and lacks the strength (or leverage abilities) to play with his hand in the dirt. Early on, this could limit him — and make it harder to get past Tonyan on the depth chart.

So Briningstool will likely be fighting to make the practice squad. If he makes it there, he’ll have the chance to develop his game as he adjusts to the NFL’s speed — and develops the strength and blocking techniques he’ll need at this level.

He could end up on a similar career arc as the team’s former tight end Jody Fortson, who had a similar size and build. After two years on the practice squad, Fortson eventually made the active roster, providing Kansas City with a red-zone threat opposite Kelce. Unfortunately, injuries prevented Fortson from ever reaching his true potential.

Briningstool is a long shot to become a contributor — but we have seen a path he could follow to become one. It will still be interesting to see where he ends up after training camp — and if he is in the Chiefs’ long-term plans.

Source: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2025/6/20/24445057/chiefs-roster-can-jake-briningstool-make-the-team

 

[Kansas City Chiefs]

Chiefs make 3 roster moves on Friday

Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Expect some minor adjustments to Kansas City’s 90-man roster ahead of training camp.

With the team’s mandatory minicamp now in the rearview, the Kansas City Chiefs made a trio of roster moves on Friday.

Veteran guard Tremayne Anchrum was released. The former Los Angeles Rams seventh-round selection joined the Chiefs on May 16.

Also on Friday, the Chiefs waived tight end Kevin Foelsch, only ten days after signing with Kansas City on June 11.

One of the roster openings will be filled with rookie center Joey Lombard, who officially joined the team on Friday. Lombard was one of four tryout players the Chiefs hosted this week at minicamp. It was actually the Chiefs’ second look at Lombard in as many months, as the South Dakota product also tried out at the team’s annual post-draft rookie camp.

Another tryout player from minicamp signing with the Chiefs. The club is also signing TE Geor’Quarius Spivey. No word yet on corresponding moves. https://t.co/Q5mNDtXu2o

— Matt Derrick (@mattderrick) June 20, 2025​

Technically, the Chiefs ended Friday with an open place on the 90-man roster. Friend of the site Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest reports that the opening will soon be filled with tight end Geor’Quarius Spivey, who also tried out for the team this week.

Spivey, formerly of Mississippi State and TCU, signed with the Chiefs during 2024’s training camp before being waived in the final roster cuts. Spivey recently played for the UFL’s Houston Roughnecks.

Source: https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2025/6/21/24452983/chiefs-make-3-roster-moves-on-friday