Chiefs headlines for Thursday, May 8
The latest
NFL offseason stock watch: Which teams are on the rise? Who got worse? | FOX Sports
Stock: up
Kansas City should be much better at receiver in 2025, with Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown now healthy and Xavier Worthy entering his second season. And assuming his medical issues are behind him, first-round pick Josh Simmons offers strong competition for starting offensive tackles Jaylon Moore and Jawaan Taylor.
Ranking Every NFL Defense After the 2025 Draft | Bleacher Report
9. Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City offense gets most of the run, but the Chiefs wouldn’t have dominated the AFC over the past several years without help from the defense.
Last year, they were ninth in total defense, eighth against the run and fourth in points allowed.
The Chiefs were relatively quiet in free agency on defense, outside the addition of a couple of defensive backs. Kristian Fulton has the potential to be an upgrade at cornerback, while Mike Edwards was a cost-efficient replacement at safety for the departed Justin Reid.
The team was more aggressive defensively in the draft. Tennessee defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott has real chance for early playing time after Tershawn Wharton and Derrick Nnadi left in free agency.
Louisville edge-rusher Ashton Gillotte may not see playing time right away, but Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo loves depth off the edge. Fellow third-rounder Nohl Williams of Cal could also earn some early snaps as a sub-package cornerback.
Outside defensive tackle Chris Jones, linebacker Nick Bolton and cornerback Trent McDuffie, the Kansas City defense doesn’t have a lot of big names. But Spagnuolo has a history of molding talent into a cohesive and formidable defense.
They devote their lives to protecting those that they’ve never met, selflessly stepping forward to defend all that we hold dear in this country.
These individuals don’t join the service for recognition or fame, it’s just simply what they feel called to do, forgoing personal ambition to become a part of something much larger than themselves.
They’re the brave few who make up our Armed Forces, and some of our nation’s very best are right here in Chiefs Kingdom.
The Chiefs have a rich history of supporting our men and women in uniform throughout the years, including through the “Tribute to the Troops” program at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, which recognizes the real heroes in our community during every home game.
Tier 5: Injury concerns
The Kansas City Chiefs had an interesting season in the backfield. The club lost starting back Isiah Pacheco in Week 2 due to a fractured fibula and wasn’t able to return until Week 13. Even when he got back on the field, however, he was used sparingly. In his five regular-season games played after returning, Pacheco registered 49 rushing attempts for 175 yards. In the playoffs, he ran the ball a total of 13 times over three games for 37 yards. Veteran Kareem Hunt took over the bulk of the carries down the stretch, but it will be interesting to see how Pacheco carves back into the rotation in 2025 now that he’s healthy.
6 – Patrick Mahomes
Kansas City Chiefs QB
Was Mahomes’ ugly Super Bowl showing an anomaly, or clear evidence his increasing dependence on last-minute heroics isn’t as sustainable as it once was for Kansas City? A healthier pass-catching corps should help, but his leaky O-line still has questions. There’s no denying No. 15 is still the most trustworthy signal-caller in the game, but he’s now proven vulnerable twice on the big stage.
NFL’s Top QBs After 2025 Draft | Bleacher Report
4. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Some hard-to-believe facts about Patrick Mahomes:
Among 36 qualified passers, he ranked dead-last in the NFL with 2.8 completed air yards per attempt in 2024. And that was actually a slight improvement from 2.7 per attempt in 2023.
Among 20 quarterbacks who attempted at least 75 deep passes (throws 15-plus yards downfield) in 2024, he ranked 19th (ahead of only Anthony Richardson) with a passer rating of 46.1 on those attempts.
He’s thrown an AFC-worst 25 interceptions the last two seasons combined.
In that same time frame, his 93.0 passer rating ranks 20th among 33 qualified passers
On paper, Mahomes has been a mediocre quarterback since the start of the 2023 season. So, why is he still ranked fourth on this list?
Well, as one of the most accomplished and talented players in NFL history, he still gets some benefit of the doubt. And it helps that the two-time MVP has saved himself over and over again.
The 29-year-old led an NFL-best five fourth-quarter comebacks and seven game-winning drives in 2024 alone, he posted a 110.4 passer rating on third down, and he again found a way to get the Chiefs to the Super Bowl.
Eventually, even that stuff won’t be enough. Let’s see if Mahomes can bounce back in his age-30 season and maintain his spot among the top tier.
Around the NFL
S · Age: 31
This one makes too much sense. Simmons is a two-time Pro Bowler and four-time second-team All-Pro who played some of his best football for the Denver Broncos when current Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was that franchise’s head coach (2019-2021). The Eagles also have an opening at safety after trading C.J. Gardner-Johnson following last season’s Super Bowl win over Kansas City. Gardner-Johnson’s ballhawking skills were an essential part of Philadelphia’s stellar defense. Simmons could bring the same talents to the Eagles, as he’s familiar with Fangio’s system and known for taking the ball away (his 32 interceptions rank tied for fifth among active players). It’s fair to say Simmons declined some in his lone year in Atlanta last season. It’s also exciting to think about how he could bounce back in a secondary that includes Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean at cornerback and Reed Blankenship at safety.
Cowboys trade for Steelers WR George Pickens | ESPN
The Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to a trade Wednesday that will send Pickens to Dallas for a 2026 third-round pick. The Cowboys will also send a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Steelers and get back a 2027 sixth-round pick.
Three weeks ago, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones hinted the club was working on ”substantive trades” involving players that could be completed before or after the NFL draft.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs Roster: What SMU’s Brashard Smith can provide KC’s offense
Background
Smith hasn’t been playing running back for very long. Coming out of high school, Smith was a four-star receiving prospect who had interest from schools such as Alabama, LSU, Oregon, Penn State, and Michigan. Smith ended up playing at Miami, where he spent three seasons playing wide receiver.
Wide receiver wasn’t great for Smith. Over three seasons, he caught 69 passes, 770 yards, and four touchdowns. After three seasons, Smith transferred to SMU to play for head coach Rhett Lashlee, the offensive coordinator at Miami and recruited him. Lashlee recruited Smith to SMU, but with the idea of switching him to be a full-time running back.
Smith converted to running back last season and had great results. In 14 games, Smith finished with 235 carries, 1,332 rushing yards (5.7 yards per carry), and 14 touchdowns. Smith also had his best receiving season with 39 catches, 327 receiving yards, and four touchdowns. Smith made first-team All-ACC and was voted third-team All-American by the Associated Press.
Smith is a smaller running back coming from a slot background. He’s only 5’9” and 194 lbs. Smith’s athletic testing was interesting. His 4.39 40-yard dash and 1.54 10-yard split are elite times, but he didn’t do as well on vertical or broad jumps. This backs up some of what I see on film, but I was surprised his jumps weren’t better than that.
Social media to make you think
Patrick Mahomes has one (1) game with more than 3 passing touchdowns since 2022 pic.twitter.com/7FAwiaRftL
— Davis Mattek (@DavisMattek) May 7, 2025
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