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Go To: FlashUpdate / August Update Main Page
| Kansas City Chiefs | |||
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Go To: Off-season Team Review
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| Most Recent News Updates: | |||
| KCC -- Kelce's Status Uncertain Due To Hyperextended Knee (9/05/13:08 CT) | |||
| KCC -- Reid: Toney Good To Go For Week 1 (9/03/11:57 CT) | |||
| KCC -- More Optimism About Toney Being Ready Week 1 (8/31/00:40 CT) | |||
| KCC -- Chiefs Optimistic Toney Will Be Ready Week 1 (8/28/19:19 CT) | |||
| KCC -- Wentz Rumor Notwithstanding, Chiefs Like Their Current Choice At QB2 (8/28/11:43 CT) | |||
| KCC -- Rice Knows He Needs To Improve; Drops Are Nothing New (8/28/00:04 CT) | |||
| KCC -- Chiefs Gain Clarity At QB, WR In Loss To Brown (8/26/18:59 CT) | |||
| KCC -- Mahomes, Starters Will See Action In Exhibition Finale (8/23/17:46 CT) | |||
| KCC -- More On The Chiefs' Backup QB Compeition (8/22/18:01 CT) | |||
| KCC -- Pacheco Loses Non-Contact Jersey For Monday's Practice (8/21/13:05 CT) | |||
| KCC -- Buechele Looking Like A Solid Backup; Rice Excels Vs. Cardinals (8/20/00:05 CT) | |||
| KCC -- Mahomes Wants Reid TO Return To Calling QB Sneaks (8/18/00:46 CT) | |||
| KCC -- Mahomes Will Start Vs. Cardinals, Not Clear How Long He'll Play (8/17/12:43 CT) | |||
| KCC -- Ross Returns To Practice After Leaving Early Tuesday (8/16/09:41 CT) | |||
| KCC -- Ross' Injury Isn't Considered Serious (8/15/16:12 CT) | |||
| KCC -- Ross Leaves Practice Early (8/15/10:46 CT) | |||
| KCC -- WRs James, Ross Get Chances To Show Their Worth (8/15/00:33 CT) | |||
| KCC -- A Closer Look At The Chiefs Wide Receiving Corps (8/10/00:13 CT) | |||
| KCC -- Moore In Position To Excel; Rookie RB Prince Making His Case (8/10/00:01 CT) | |||
| KCC -- Moore A Potential Breakout Play For Chiefs? (8/09/19:05 CT) | |||
| KCC -- Chiefs Confident Toney, Pacheco Will Be Ready For Week 1 (8/08/01:09 CT) | |||
| KCC -- Initial Issues And Injuries Of Note (8/08/00:00 CT) | |||
Current News Updates
9/05 HC Andy Reid told reporters that star TE Travis Kelce hyperextended his knee at practice today and his status is now uncertain for Thursday night.9/03 HC Andy Reid told reporters that Kadarius Toney, who missed much of camp with a lingering knee injury, is “good to go” for Week against the Lions. 8/31 WR Kadarius Toney (knee) has a good chance returning in time for Week 1's NFL Kickoff Game versus the Lions, per GM Brett Veach. 8/28 The Chiefs’ optimism about receiver Kadarius Toney’s availability for Week 1 continues, James Palmer of NFL Network reports. It repeats what HC Andy Reid and GM Brett Veach have said since Toney’s knee surgery in July. Toney missed all of training camp while rehabbing from arthroscopic surgery to repair the partially torn meniscus. The 2021 first-round draft pick of the Giants has played only 19 of a possible 34 games in his career. After the trade from New York last season, Toney had 19 touches for 230 yards and three touchdowns in seven regular-season games and eight touches for 64 yards and a score in three postseason games. This week practices will give the Chiefs a good idea of where Toney is in his rehab. 8/28 Carson Wentz will not yet be adding a fourth team to his workout ensemble. Despite social media chatter suggesting that Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reported that the Chiefs have some degree of interest in the free-agent quarterback (as Profootballtalk.com notes, we have no idea whether he actually reported that; it’s not on his Twitter page), PFT's Mike Florio is told that the Chiefs are inclined to enter the season with only two quarterbacks on the roster. The depth chart in Kansas City most likely will consist of veteran Blaine Gabbert behind all-time-great Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs will devote the extra roster spot to one of their various younger players. hat doesn’t mean they didn’t at least ponder Wentz, but what would be the point of signing Wentz so close to the start of the regular season? As Florio pointed out, "He doesn’t know the playbook. He doesn’t know the coaches. He doesn’t know the personnel. It doesn’t make sense. ..." While he’s potentially an injury replacement for someone as the season unfolds, the fact that no one brought Wentz in even for a workout during training camp is telling. 8/28 Following up on the previous item. ... As Profootballtalk.com noted, rookie receiver Rashee Rice got Chiefs fans excited last week when he had eight catches for 96 yards against the Cardinals. The second-round pick has them concerned after Saturday’s preseason game against the Browns. Rice dropped three passes, including one that would have been a walk-in touchdown. He finished the day with three receptions on six targets for 29 yards. “I would say that I’ve got a lot of room for improvement,” Rice said afterward, via Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star. The Chiefs aren’t surprised by his drops as it was part of the scouting report on Rice, who dropped 24 passes in 44 college games at SMU, per McDowell. Rice’s 7.8 percent drop rate in college would have ranked among the 10 highest in the NFL last season. “I’m known for running after the catch — yards after the catch — so I’ve just got to figure out a way for me to fix trying to take off before I have the ball in my hands,” Rice said. Rice will contribute this season. How much likely depends on how well he can hold onto the ball. 8/26 According to NFL.com's Michael Baca, the Chiefs QB and WR battles saw possible conclusions in Saturday's loss to the Browns. ... The competition for the Chiefs' primary backup quarterback job has been competitive to say the least, but Blaine Gabbert may have just edged it from Shane Buechele on Saturday. Buechele, who started the game against the Browns' first-team defense, threw an ugly pick-six on his sixth attempt of the game and had another interception three plays into the Chiefs' next drive. Buechele's second INT was off a deflection and he'd eventually find a touchdown throw in the red zone, but going 8-for-17 (89 yards; 43.1 rating) passing with one TD and two picks was a line that paled in comparison to Gabbert. The veteran completed 10 of 18 passes for 169 yards with two touchdowns and an INT (pick-six that came off a deflected pass) and the Chiefs offense was clearly running at a healthier pace with Gabbert under center. At the WR position, Justyn Ross may've separated himself in a crowded room by climbing the ladder on a jump ball to score a TD, and it was an example that makes the rookie an intriguing red-zone option for Patrick Mahomes. Rashee Rice was a rookie WR that didn't have such a great outing after dropping multiple balls including a would-be TD from Gabbert on a wide-open play that went through his arms. The depth chart certainly got clearer following Saturday's preseason finale as Kansas City now looks to defend its Super Bowl title. ... Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce did not play for Kansas City, who play the Lions on Sept. 7 in the NFL's regular-season opener. ... You can access complete stats for Saturday's Week 3 exhibition finale via our exclusive Fantasy BoxScore.8/22 As Profootballtalk.com notes, the Chiefs, unlike many teams, do not put their starters in bubble wrap in the preseason. Andy Reid has a history of playing his best players in the exhibition season. Patrick Mahomes has played both preseason games so far, and Reid said Wednesday he expects the starters to get some snaps in Saturday’s preseason finale against the Browns. “The ones [starters] may get a little bit of time, and then the twos and threes will take it from there,” Reid said, via Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star. Mahomes, the reigning NFL MVP, played six snaps in the first preseason game and 20 last week. “I just prepare myself every week,” Mahomes said. “I get the reps in there, and I follow coach Reid’s lead. He’s done this for a long time. He knows what’s needed every single year in order to go in and play well at the very beginning of the year. That’s why his record is so good at the beginning of the season. ...” The Chiefs are 9-1 in opening games in Reid’s first 10 seasons in Kansas City. 8/22 There’s no doubt about who Kansas City’s starting quarterback is and will be for the foreseeable future. But the QB2 spot behind Patrick Mahomes has been critically important for the club over the last few years. Chad Henne retired after the club won Super Bowl LVII last season. While Henne didn’t start a game, he did complete 5-of-7 passes for 23 yards with a touchdown in the divisional round after Mahomes had suffered a high-ankle sprain. The Chiefs brought in Blaine Gabbert as a free agent this offseason and have had Shane Buechele in the building for the last two years. Now they’re competing for the backup role and there isn’t a clear frontrunner yet. “Those two are real close, they’re real close in there,” HC Andy Reid said on Monday, via Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com. “So they’re competing, just let it play out here, see how it goes. It’s good competition.” Through two weeks of preseason play, Buechele is 21-of-28 for 260 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Gabbert is 11-of-16 for 179 yards with three touchdowns and no picks. There’s a chance both Buechele and Gabbert could make the 53-man roster, which would allow the Chiefs to utilize the third quarterback rule. But even if both make it, only one would be the primary backup. We’ll see how the competition shapes up with Gabbert and Buechele’s performances against the Browns on Saturday. 8/21 Isiah Pacheco was out of the yellow non-contact jersey for Monday’s practice and may play in the Chiefs’ preseason finale against the Browns this weekend. “There’s a chance, yeah. He’s just got to be cleared and all that,” HC Andy Reid said in his press conference. Reid added that Pacheco coming out of the non-contact jersey was “a positive step. As long as nothing happened today.” Pacheco has been recovering from a broken hand and torn labrum. He has been participating in practices on a non-contact basis and did not start training camp on the physically unable to perform list. Remember, a previous report suggested he would be cleared by 8/20. So by all appearances, Pacheco should be ready to play when Kansas City kicks off the season against Detroit on Sept. 7. 8/20 As NFL.com's Michael Baca framed it, "Patrick Mahomes has solid backups. ..." Shane Buechele sort of upstaged the Chiefs' star quarterback by going a perfect 10-for-10 passing for 105 yards and scoring on a heady, 15-yard touchdown run to conclude a seven-play, 88-yard drive in the second quarter against the Cardinals Saturday night. The third-year QB went on to lead another long scoring drive (field goal) to end the first half, which concluded his perfect day after two series. Rookie wideout Rashee Rice was the main beneficiary of Buechele's accurate day throwing the football by leading the team with eight receptions for 96 yards. While it was unexpected for Buechele to play at all in the first half, the 25-year-old never flinched and made a good case of being Mahomes' primary backup. Veteran QB Blaine Gabbert followed up that performance with a nice one of his own, completing 7 of 8 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns against the Cardinals' cut candidates on defense. Andy Reid will be pleased knowing there are not one but two capable QBs behind Mahomes. ... Meanwhile, ESPN.com's Adam Teicher contends the Chiefs have reason to feel good about their wide receiver play, even without the injured Kadarius Toney. Five of their top six wideouts caught a pass before the Chiefs pulled their starters midway through the second quarter. Worth noting: Rice showed he is a threat to break a big play with his ability to run after the catch. 8/18 HC Andy Reid has admitted that his approach to short-yardage situations changed after Patrick Mahomes dislocated his kneecap while attempting a quarterback sneak in 2019. The Chiefs now are reluctant to put their MVP quarterback in harm’s way. “[The difference is] probably because my kneecap was on the side of my leg,” Mahomes said, via Ed Easton Jr. of USA Today. “I think we were doing pretty good until that. No, we were good into we were really good at it until last year. I mean, last year, we didn’t do very well at it. So, we didn’t get the one in the first one. This is the preseason, so we’ve kind of we’ve went back and kind of evaluated it. And hopefully, by the time season comes around, we can get back to converting those. ...” During the first preseason game against the Saints, the Chiefs faced a fourth-and-one at their own 48. Tight end Blake Bell took a direct snap and was stopped for no gain. Mahomes wants Reid to return to calling quarterback sneaks, because he knows he can get the needed yard. “I’ll always want to because I always say that I haven’t got stopped yet,” Mahomes said. “Because even the one that my knee I got hurt on, I still got the first down. But I’m pretty sure he’s not going to let me do it unless it’s like for the Super Bowl, and so I might have to call my own number in the Super Bowl if we get there.” 8/17 HC Andy Reid told reporters starters will play the first half of Saturday's game against the Cardinals. QB Patrick Mahomes, however, and some others are expected to play less, per NFL Network's James Palmer. 8/16 According to ArrowheadPride.com's Pete Sweeney, WR Justyn Ross is practicing today after leaving practice early yesterday due to a minor hamstring issue. 8/15 Following up on a previous item. ... WR Justyn Ross left practice with a leg/hamstring injury, head coach Andy Reid told reporters. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports Ross' injury does not appear to be serious. 8/15 WR Justyn Ross has left practice after receiving attention in the medical tent, he left sitting in the front of the medical cart per ArrowheadPride.com's Pete Sweeney. 8/15 With Patrick Mahomes and the majority of the established starters only participating in one drive in Sunday's exhibition opener against the Broncos, there came opportunities for other Chiefs players to make an impact through the rest of the game, and some new faces made themselves seen. Wide receiver Richie James, who came over this offseason from the Giants, got the offense jump-started after multiple fruitless drives for K.C. to start the game. James was on the receiving end of two big plays from backup QB Blaine Gabbert, reeling in a 43-yard catch and then a one-yard TD reception on the same drive to put the team's first points on the board. He also added a kick return for 31 yards. 2023 second-round pick Rashee Rice also got some time through the middle of the game, making three catches for 30 yards, though he also recorded a false start penalty. And, as NFL.com points out, Justyn Ross, who spent all of last year on injured reserve after being signed as an undrafted free agent, finally took the field for the Chiefs and made his time count with three catches, including a 15-yard TD. 8/10 Following up on the previous item. .... When the Kansas City Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill last year, the team had no clear No. 1 receiver. That hasn't changed. In fact, it became even more pronounced after the player the Chiefs hoped would fill that role, Kadarius Toney, tore a meniscus just as camp was starting. He hasn’t practiced yet, though coach Andy Reid said Monday he expects Toney back for Week 1. In the meantime, the Chiefs have depth. Their top group of wide receivers goes six deep, including Skyy Moore, rookie Rashee Rice, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Justyn Ross, Richie James and Justin Watson. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been spreading the ball around at camp, and the Chiefs may wind up keeping all of them into the season, even when Toney returns. “When you have a lot of guys that can rotate in, and I trust to [make the right] decision and make the right play and make the play when they’re called upon, that’s when you know you’re in the right spot,” Mahomes said. “I feel like that now. You look at our depth chart at receiver, I’ve always said all these dudes can make the football team.” As ESPN.com's Adam Teicher notes, the Chiefs have been hopeful Toney could lead their wide receiving group this season since they acquired him in a trade with the New York Giants midway through last season. But Teicher went on to suggest what the Chiefs have seen from their other receivers at camp has somewhat eased the loss. Even without Toney, the Chiefs have a diverse group that includes fast receivers like Valdes-Scantling and Watson, smaller ones like Moore and James, and bigger targets like Rice and Ross. The Chiefs in recent years haven’t had a receiver quite like the 6-4, 210-pound Ross, who is a precise route-runner. He missed all of his rookie season last year with a foot injury. The Chiefs have had a wide receiver catch at least 75 passes in a season five of the last six years. Four times it was Hill and last year it was Smith-Schuster, who had 78 catches in his only season with the Chiefs. According to Teicher, they may not have a 75-plus-catch wide receiver this year. The highest number of catches in a season for any of their wide receivers is 57, the number of passes James caught for the Giants last season. So the Chiefs may have to use more of the committee approach to get big numbers from their wide outs this season. Fantasy managers should take note. 8/10 Arrowhead Pride editor Pete Sweeney appeared on the Around The NFL Podcast last week. NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal asked him who is most likely to lead the wideouts in receptions. His response: Skyy Moore. The 2022 second-round pick could wind up taking JuJu Smith-Schuster's old role. Even with camp darling Justyn Ross and rookie second-rounder Rashee Rice making an impact, Moore is a nice post-hype candidate to have a big season. ... In addition, Rosenthal notes that undrafted rookie running back Deneric Prince appears to be a safe bet to make the team, possibly cutting into Clyde Edwards-Helaire or Jerick McKinnon's workload. "One year after Isiah Pacheco was a camp sensation," Rosenthal wrote, "the Chiefs might've uncovered another gem." 8/09 ESPN.com's Bill Barnwell, looking for a potential breakout player in Kansas City, noted that Kadarius Toney might have been an obvious pick, but the former Giants speedster hasn't been able to stay healthy for any significant stretch. He's already questionable for Week 1 after undergoing knee surgery in late July. The Chiefs believe Toney can become a star -- and Justyn Ross is looking like the player who many expected to be a first-round pick before suffering a run of injuries -- but it's just tough to count on either of those players to be on the field for even 500 offensive snaps. With JuJu Smith-Schuster leaving for the Patriots, Barnwell believes Skyy Moore is the most likely candidate to step in and play when the Chiefs have two or three wide receivers on the field. The 2022 second-rounder struggled to attract regular playing time and was a liability as a punt returner during his rookie campaign, but he still averaged 1.6 yards per route run. Barnwell conceded it's usually dangerous to back wide receivers who don't show much in Year 1, but one pre-draft comp for Moore struggled early in his career before turning into a Pro Bowler. Golden Tate was anonymous for his first year-and-a-half with the Seahawks before growing into a more significant role and eventually emerging as a star in Detroit. If Moore can stay on the field for the Chiefs, he should be able to produce even quicker. 8/08 According to ESPN.com's Adam Teicher, the Chiefs expect wide receiver Kadarius Toney and running back Isiah Pacheco to play in their regular season opener against the Detroit Lions. "Organizationally, we feel pretty good those guys will be ready to play, barring no setbacks," general manager Brett Veach said. "I think we're in a good place with both of those guys. ..." Toney tore his meniscus at the Chiefs' opening practice of training camp and subsequently had surgery. He has yet to return to practice. Pacheco had offseason surgeries on his hand and shoulder. He has been a limited practice participant through camp and has yet to be cleared for contact. Previous reports suggested Pacheco could be cleared by 8/20. 8/08 Cruising to his second MVP award, Patrick Mahomes won the passing title by a whopping 511 yards and tossed six more touchdown passes (41) than runners-up Josh Allen and Joe Burrow in 2022. He averaged more than 300 yards per game for the third time in five seasons and tossed at least one TD pass in all 17 games before leading the Chiefs to the championship and winning Super Bowl MVP honors for the second time. There is a potential for a Super Bowl hangover; Mahomes did post career lows in completion percentage, yards and TDs in 2019 after lifting the Lombardi and flinging 50 scoring strikes in 2018. So where is the room for improvement? As Profootballtalk.com put it: "The greatness of Mahomes comes in large part from his ability to extend plays, by running around behind the line of scrimmage while always looking for an opening to deliver the ball in the blink of an eye, or faster. He wants that to change. Specifically, he wants to be able to know what’s going to happen before a given play begins. ..." Mahomes explained to Albert Breer of SI.com that he’s looking to learn more about how Tom Brady did it. Mahomes’s has a resource this year, in former Brady backup Blaine Gabbert, who told Mahomes that Brady always had an answer, for every look he saw. “I’ve been able to scramble and make plays happen," Mahomes said. "To be able to, pre-snap, always have an answer and make the game even easier. This is a hard game where defenses are doing a lot of different stuff. You rarely saw Tom get tricked. ... That’s where I want to get to, instead of having to rely on scrambles. That all looks cool, but I want to be able to have the answer even before the snap of the ball. ...” As PFT suggested, it’s an important skill to develop, because eventually Mahomes won’t be as nimble as he now is, long before the magic ages its way out of his arm. The legs always go before the arm. Brady used his knowledge of defenses to accelerate his delivery of the ball after the snap. That’s how it will change for Mahomes, in time. And, once he knows what’s happening before the ball is snapped, he’ll lay the foundation to play deep into his forties. ... More immediately, there are concerns, including left tackle, where free agency saw the departure of Orlando Brown and the arrival of Donovan Smith. K.C. also lost WR JuJu Smith-Schuster but drafted SMU wideout Rashee Rice in the second round. The biggest change is at OC, where Matt Nagy replaces Eric Bieniemy and returns to a role he held in Mahomes' 2017 rookie year. ... On the injury front, Kadarius Tony underwent a procedure to clean up a knee the first week of camp; the Chiefs have expressed optimism he'll be ready to go Week 1. In addition, Isiah Pacheco, who is coming off hand and labrum surgeries this offseason, is expected to be cleared for contact by 8/20, with the shoulder holding him back.
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 Team Review
Fantasy Grade: A-
For the second time in four years, the Kansas City Chiefs are the reigning champions of the NFL. Kansas City led the league in both yards and points per game last year— and they did so despite trading Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. If them was any doubt that Patrick Mahomes was the NFL's hest quarterback. it was settled last year —Mahomes was the only 5,000-yard quarterback in the KANSAS CITY CHIEFS league and paced all players at the position in fantasy points. Even Josh Allen of the Bills allowed to 'Good Morning Football" that Mahomes is the best in the league at what he does. 'Until me or [Burrow] or anybody else can win a Super Bowl, I think Pat's kind of the dear No. 1 right now," Allen said. 'He's been playing at such a high level for so long and he's got the rings to prove it." If Mahomes is the best quarterback in the game, Travis Kelce is the league's top tight end by a mile. Kelce didn't just outscore every other tight end in the NFL last year — he did so by a massive margin. For Pro Football Focus, there wasn't a more valuable player in all of fantasy football. "Kelce entered Week 18 as one of just 11 skill-position players to average at least 19 PPR points per game, and he did so at a position that caused annoyance and heartache for virtually every fantasy manager throughout the season," they said. Outside that duo, though, the Kansas City offense is sur-prisingly short on star power. With JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman gone, the team will rely on a cadre of wide receivers that includes Marques Valdez-Scantling, Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney, Riche James and rookie Rashes Rice. General manager Brett Veach expressed some confidence that Toney can step into a larger role in 2023. 'We have a lot of high hopes for him,' he said. -He was a first-round pick for a reason, There's a reason why we traded for him, and we felt like he was first-round talent' The Kansas City backfield is a thunder-and-lightning affair, with youngster !Soh Pacheco banging away between the tackles and Jerick McKinnon handling pass-ing down work. McKinnon was stunningly a top-5 PPR running back over the second half of last season, but it's Pacheco who pleas to take a big step forward in Year 2. "As a seventh-round pick, I always had something to prove, for the doubters," Pacheco said. "If you dream big, you could go get it. go grab it. That's something I always had in mind of being on this stage, on this level. It feels unreal, but it's real and it's here and so I have to embrace it." | |||
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2023 Off-Season News & Views
Click here for Complete set of News & Views
Click here for earlier off-season items |
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