Sport
Who Will Protect Mahomes’ Blind Side? – 5 Chiefs Training Camp Battles to Watch
- The Kansas City Chiefs are trying to win an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl.
- The Chiefs made their biggest upgrades at wide receiver via free agency, draft.
- The battle for the starting left offensive tackle job will be key to protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes
The Kansas City Chiefs are on a path few teams in NFL history have ever been on as they try to become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls.
The Chiefs opened training camp on July 20 at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri, with the pressure of their quest hanging over them, and a myriad of position battles that will be determined on the way to the season opener on Thursday, September 5 against the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium.
Here’s a look at five Chiefs training camp battles to watch:
1
Who Will Protect Patrick Mahomes’ Blind Side?
Chiefs’ left offensive tackle might be 2nd-most important position on the team
There’s a great line from the brilliant documentary about the Michael Jordan-era Chicago Bulls—The Last Dance—in which writer Chuck Klosterman theorizes that Jordan may have been as good at his job as anyone who ever had a job, regardless of their profession.
The same can be said for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has won three Super Bowls through his first six seasons as a starter.
| Chiefs OT Depth | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Starter | 2nd | 3rd String |
| LT | Wanya Morris | Kingsley Suamataia | Chukwuebuka Godrick |
| RT | Jawaan Taylor | Lucas Niang | Ethan Driskell |
That’s why protecting Mahomes’ blind side is so important and the battle between Wanya Morris and rookie Kingsley Suamataia to start at left offensive tackle might be the most important in training camp.
Morris played well enough after he took over for the injured Donovan Smith in Week 13 to make Smith expendable … but not well enough for the Chiefs not to draft the 6-foot-5, 326-pound Suamataia out of BYU (from ESPN:)
(Morris) struggled with rushers going inside on him, however, and allowed a 9.2% pressure rate during the regular season. That would have ranked him third from the bottom among left tackles if he had enough snaps to qualify for our rankings. Morris played a few decent games but was demolished by Maxx Crosby in Kansas City’s surprise Christmas Day loss.
Morris has the inside track due to his prior knowledge of the Kansas City playbook, but Suamataia should be breathing down his neck during camp. The Chiefs didn’t spend a second-rounder on him for nothing.
2
Rookie Seems Like Potential TE2 For Chiefs
Former TCU star Jared Wiley could be an upgrade over Noah Gray
We won’t explain to you how important the tight end is in Kansas City’s offense—anyone who has watched them play a game in the last six seasons knows that.
We won’t explain to you how important the tight end is in Kansas City’s offense—anyone who has watched them play a game in the last six seasons knows that.
That’s why when 34-year-old Travis Kelce is injured, which is happening more often these days, the need to have a more-than-serviceable backup is at a premium. Noah Gray has been that serviceable backup for the Chiefs over the last two seasons, as he’s averaged 28 receptions, 300 yards, and over 10 yards per catch. But this is the NFL, and a bigger, badder version of you is always right around the corner.
| Chiefs TE Depth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Starter | 2nd String | 3rd String | 4th String |
| TE1 | Travis Kelce | Noah Gray | Jared Wiley | Irv Smith Jr. |
In this case, bigger and badder might mean the Chiefs’ fourth-round pick, TCU tight end Jared Wiley, who, at 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, is three inches taller and 10 pounds heavier than Gray and just as fast—both ran the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds at the NFL Combine.
Wiley showed he could be a go-to tight end in his final year at TCU, posting 47 receptions for 520 yards and eight touchdowns. Because Kansas City head coach Andy Reid is an offensive genius, he might actually find a way to incorporate both Gray and Wiley into the offense, which could be a lot of fun.
Who will win the battle: Jared Wiley
3
Chiefs Might Have Death By 1,000 Cuts at Wide Receiver
Rashee Rice became the top target as a rookie in 2023, but things have changed
No position in Kansas City got more of an upgrade in the offseason than wide receiver, and for good reason. In 2023, that one position caused the Chiefs’ more headaches than any in their current run with Kadarius Toney and Marquez Valdes-Scantling alternating between meltdowns and dropped passes.
Who saved the day? Rookie Rashee Rice, the Chiefs’ second-round pick (No. 55 overall) out of SMU in 2023. He only started eight games but finished with 79 receptions for 938 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Then, he took his game to another level in the playoffs. In four postseason games, Rice set an NFL rookie record with 26 receptions to go with 262 receiving yards and a touchdown.
| Chiefs WR Depth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Starter | 2nd String | 3rd String | 4th String |
| WR1 | Rashee Rice | Justin Watson | Skyy Moore | Montrell Washington |
| WR2 | Marquise Brown | Kadarius Toney | Justyn Ross | Nikko Remigio |
| WR3 | Xavier Worthy | Mecole Hardman | Cornell Powell | Phillip Brooks |
One problem for the Chiefs? Rice might not be a free man for much longer. He’s facing six felony charges after an alleged hit and run in Dallas during the offseason.
That’s a big reason why the Chiefs added free-agent wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown in the offseason via a one-year, $7 million contract, then traded up to draft Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy in the first round after Worthy set the NFL combine record by running the 40-yard dash in 4.21 seconds.
So … who will be WR1 for the Chiefs in 2024? The answer is … probably everyone at one point or another. But if the game’s on the line early on, count on Mahomes to get the ball to Rice—if he’s available, that is.
Who will win the battle?
4
Can Former Rugby Star Make Chiefs Roster?
Louis Rees-Zammit made it to training camp via the NFL International Player Pathway Program
One of the oddities in NFL training camp in 2024—not just with the Chiefs — is the inclusion of players that have arrived through the league’s international player pathway, including Welsh rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit, who is currently on Kansas City’s preseason roster.
| Chiefs RB Depth | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Starter | 2nd String | 3rd String |
| RB | Isaiah Pacheco | Clyde Edwards-Helaire | Deneric Prince |
| Others Taking RB Snaps | Louis Rees-Zammit | Kadarius Toney | |
Rees-Zammit is listed as a running back, but his real impact will likely be on special teams, with ESPN already projecting him to make the 53-man roster. Rees-Zammitt has the physical tools to play in the NFL at 6-foot-2 and 209 pounds, and he’s been clocked in the 40-yard dash at 4.43 seconds.
5
Who Will Be Cornerback Opposite Trent McDuffie?
Chiefs have drafted heavily at cornerback over last three years
All six of the cornerbacks projected to make the Chiefs’ 53-man roster were drafted by the team in the last three years, led by NFL All-Pro and two-time Super Bowl champion Trent McDuffie, the No. 22 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
With McDuffie already showing he’s one of the NFL’s elite corners, the Chiefs felt good enough about the position to let playoff hero L’Jarius Sneed leave via free agency. However, McDuffie is unique in his ability to play wide, yet also contribute like few others can from the slot position.
| Chiefs CB Depth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Starter | 2nd String | 3rd String | 4th String |
| CB1 | Joshua Williams | Ekow Boye-Doe | Miles Battle | Christian Roland-Wallace |
| CB2 | Nazeeh Johnson | Jaylen Watson | Kelvin Joseph | Kamal Hadden |
| Slot | Trent McDuffie | Chamarri Conner | ||
