Here are 5 looming questions Chiefs face as they open training camp this week
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs open camp with left tackle battle between rookie Simmons and veteran Moore.
- Wide receiver and running back competitions intensify amid roster uncertainty.
- Defensive tackle depth and cornerback rotation spark questions entering camp.
The Kansas City Chiefs officially start training camp Tuesday, as the team’s first practice is 9:15 a.m. on Missouri Western’s campus in St. Joseph.
Here are five looming questions for the Chiefs as they officially open camp.
Who will emerge as Patrick Mahomes’ left tackle?
If this seems like a familiar question ... well, there’s good reason for that. It’s actually the exact same top inquiry we had about the Chiefs when they entered training camp last season.
KC’s candidates for the position will be different this time — with appearances of a much higher floor at that spot after it cost the Chiefs significantly when they fell just short of a three-peat last season.
The Chiefs struck early in free agency to land Jaylon Moore on a two-year, $30 million contract. He filled in admirably as Trent Williams’ backup in San Francisco last season and now will get a chance to prove he deserves to be a full-time NFL starter (though he was limited some in the Chiefs’ summer practices because of an injury).
That seems like the safer option. The likely best-case scenario for the Chiefs — with the most upside — would be for first-round rookie Josh Simmons to play well enough to take over the spot immediately.
The early indications are he has a chance to do just that. Most everyone in the Chiefs organization — including coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy — has raved about Simmons’ movement skills and recovery from an October knee injury.
If Simmons can fulfill his promise, he has the potential to give the Chiefs an anchor on the left side that they’ve never had in Mahomes’ tenure. Case in point: Mahomes has had a different left tackle in each of his five Super Bowl appearances.
Reid spoke Sunday about what he’d be watching for from that position in camp.
“You’re gonna look for the best guy, to start with, that can fill in that spot, (so) that we can have a little consistency there. We didn’t have that last year,” Reid said. “And so, let’s work at it and see what we come up with. We’ve got some good candidates for it, and we’ll just see where it goes.”
Which back-end receiver will step up?
Rashee Rice settling his legal case — meaning a likely NFL suspension will come at the beginning of this season — should only put more focus on the battle for the final roster spots at receiver.
The Chiefs’ locks at the position, outside of Rice, would seem to be Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, fourth-round pick Jalen Royals and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
That leaves players like Skyy Moore, Tyquan Thornton, Jason Brownlee and Nikko Remigio as the top candidates to fight it out for the 1-2 vacancies left.
Moore, a 2022 second-round pick, was strong during summer practices, but that’s never been his issue. He has failed to meet expectations in consecutive regular seasons, and one of his biggest obstacles will be regaining Mahomes’ trust following those previous experiences.
Thornton, a former second-round pick of the Patriots, joined the Chiefs’ practice squad last year and impressed Reid during summer workouts. Thornton is the Chiefs’ type at receiver — fast and also quick in short bursts — and has been playing gunner on special teams, which could potentially help his bid for a roster spot.
Remigio had some solid highlights as the Chiefs’ primary returner last season, but his lack of size and elite athleticism means he’ll have to earn his spot back on the roster. Brownlee, meanwhile, is a former Jets receiver who is a dark horse to make the team; he made a few standout catches in the summer, grabbing the attention of some in the facility.
One player who won’t be in the mix is longtime practice standout Justyn Ross, who asked for and was granted a release by the Chiefs.
Who will stabilize things next to Chris Jones?
Perhaps the Chiefs’ biggest question mark on the roster comes at the position next to All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones.
KC has to start by hoping that Jones remains as durable as he has been; he’s missed no regular-season starts in the last three seasons because of injury.
Will that continue in his age-31 campaign? As mentioned, the Chiefs have to hope so, because the depth behind him there appears thinner than other spots.
Run-stopper Mike Pennel — at age 34 — returns, but he’s a role player who was in for 30% of the team’s defensive snaps a season ago.
The Chiefs also signed journeyman Jerry Tillery and could hope to see improvement from Fabien Lovett, a second-year player who spent all last year on the practice squad.
Perhaps of most importance, though, will be the development of second-round draft pick Omarr Norman-Lott.
The 6-foot-3, 315-pound Norman-Lott had super production on a per-snap basis last season at Tennessee, but he also did that while playing just 225 snaps as part of a rotation.
KC has to envision him playing much more than in the NFL this year, while hoping he can help fill the void left by Tershawn Wharton, who left for the Panthers in free agency.
The bottom line? KC defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo likely would feel a lot better about his defense’s upside if a non-Jones defensive tackle exceeds expectations in camp.
Who will ascend at running back?
It appears no Chiefs position — from top to bottom — has as much unpredictability as this year’s running-back group.
The best bet remains at the top of the depth chart. Fourth-year pro Isiah Pacheco had a frustrating injury-filled season last year, but Reid has been consistent in his praise of Pacheco this offseason after the running back reshaped his body and re-added muscle to his frame.
Pacheco’s patented burst needs to return following last year’s fibula injury, though. And if it doesn’t, someone else certainly could emerge to compete for that primary back position.
Elijah Mitchell, a 27-year-old free-agent signing, seems the best candidate, though he must get over an injury-prone label that’s hampered him throughout his career.
KC’s leading rusher a year ago, Kareem Hunt, also returns, but he’ll turn 30 during training camp. It’s an advanced age for the position he plays, and after signing a veteran-minimum free-agent deal, Hunt will have to show he still has some juice to ensure he keeps a spot on the team.
Seventh-round pick Brashard Smith has the potential to be an explosive playmaker out of the backfield as a former receiver. He’s still not a roster lock, though, because KC has only invested a late-round draft pick in him. The Chiefs also kept fullback Carson Steele on the active roster for all 17 games a season ago, and he provides some special-teams value that could pay dividends as a backup.
A year ago, KC’s initial 53-man roster included just three running backs. That’s something to keep in mind when assessing a position group that should be one of the most competitive (and unpredictable) in this year’s camp.
What will Chiefs’ corner rotation be?
Let’s start with the good news for the Chiefs: Their secondary could be one of the team’s top strengths.
Pro Football Focus, in fact, just ranked KC’s secondary as second-best in the league, behind only the Ravens.
How that group comes together, though, remains to be seen, especially when looking at the cornerback positions.
Second-team All-Pro Trent McDuffie is the stabilizing force, and he seems more in line for addition slot duty this season after primarily playing outside a year ago. The Chiefs also hope that fourth-year pro Jaylen Watson will return to full health after rushing back last year from an ankle injury.
The other spots are open to competition.
Free agent Kristian Fulton should have the inside track if healthy, though Reid said Sunday that he’ll start training camp on the sidelines with a knee injury. KC also traded up to select third-round corner Nohl Williams, though he seemed to be a step behind others in the summer while trying to process a complicated Chiefs playbook.
Spagnuolo always has been fond of 2022 seventh-round pick Nazeeh Johnson, so he seems likely to make the team. Joshua Williams is a 2022 fourth-round pick who struggled to stay in the defensive rotation a year ago, while Christian Roland-Wallace was a surprise roster inclusion at the start of last season who remained elevated for all 17 games as a slot corner/special teams contributor.
This isn’t a dire situation for KC, but it’s an intriguing one nonetheless. The Chiefs’ cornerback depth chart could shift often once camp opens, with quite a few players battling to secure a limited number of roles.
