The latest
Albert Breer’s Takeaways: How NFL Teams Are Vetting Brendan Sorsby’s Character | Sports Illustrated
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are going to be one of the big stories of camp, and that will, of course, start with the status of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Coming off a torn ACL and LCL and a December surgery, Mahomes was already working in install periods, individuals and seven-on-sevens through OTAs. He’s trending toward being fully cleared relatively soon, but I’d expect Kansas City to be judicious
with him early in camp—because when you tell him to go, he’ll go.
Either way, he’s ahead of schedule, and that should set up for the Chiefs to have their three-time champion triggerman back in the saddle for Week 1 … at least, that’s the hope.
Which brings us to the rest of the team, and the interesting thing here, to me anyway, is how Kansas City is back to where it was three years ago after trading Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins. At that point, in 2022, with a cap that was top-heavy by design, it was on GM Brett Veach and his guys to augment with cost-controlled young talent, and they did it with Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Nick Bolton, George Karlaftis and Trent McDuffie, among others.
Now, four of those five guys are part of the “top-heavy” piece of the equation and McDuffie is the Hill portion of it—dealt away to give Veach more ammo to find cheaper labor. And the spring brought promise that he and Andy Reid might be pulling it off again.
The case against Kansas City: From the moment the NFL released the regular-season schedule, with the Chiefs prominently featured in prime-time tilts to open the campaign, it seemed a strong possibility that Mahomes would be good to go in Week 1. But what if he suffers a setback? Or, as others have experienced when returning from a knee injury, what if he’s simply not himself the entire season? No one questions Mahomes’ work ethic or drive. Both are legendary, but the reality is that the body responds differently, particularly as we creep past 30. If Mahomes is anything short of his jaw-dropping self for the bulk of the regular season, K.C. will have issues leapfrogging back to the top of the division.
With the Chiefs focusing on defense early in the draft, there remain questions at wideout, where K.C. has struggled to get consistency the past several seasons. Can Xavier Worthy finally live up to his first-round billing? Will Rashee Rice stay on the field? Is there enough depth in the passing attack, particularly with Travis Kelce beginning to show his age? If the running game doesn’t prove to be a significant upgrade, the offense could once again be a slog to watch.
On defense, the Chiefs have been able to plug-and-play secondary defenders under Spags. I assume the additions, including Delane, will slide right in without missing a beat. Assumptions can come back to bite, though, especially at a volatile position like corner. If the youngsters on D struggle, it could be another long season.
“Which offseason move will have the biggest impact on next season? This answer has to be running back Kenneth Walker III, the Chiefs’ lone significant acquisition in the offseason. A year ago, the Chiefs’ running backs were a historical disappointment. Kareem Hunt was the lone player to have a rushing attempt that went for more than 20 yards, and Hunt recorded only one. Walker — the reigning Super Bowl MVP — should add a boost to the offense with his ability to create highlight plays through his speed, elusiveness, and vision in the open field.” – Nate Taylor, ESPN
Kenneth Walker is a playmaker. Patrick Mahomes hasn’t had a dynamic running back like Walker ever in his career. And, he makes defenders miss rather than just running them over, unlike Kareem Hunt. But Hunt still got the job done in the short-yardage areas when they needed it most. Walker forced 24 missed tackles, good enough for sixth-most in the league, and then he broke 27 tackles, eighth-most in the league.
The Chiefs did not do a great job of making teams miss them in the run game last year. There weren’t many extra yards gained in a lot of those situations. They had the fifth-fewest broken tackles and the fewest forced missed tackles. Having Walker should immediately change the offense and help relieve Mahomes.
Latest 2026 NFL Trade Block Big Board Following Mandatory Minicamps | Bleacher Report
2. Kayshon Boutte, WR, New England Patriots
Projected Trade Value: 2027 5th-Round Pick
The New England Patriots added their new No. 1 receiver when they acquired A.J. Brown from the Eagles. They also added Romeo Doubs in free agency, which leaves plenty of uncertainty around the future of Kayshon Boutte.
Boutte is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and it feels increasingly unlikely that his future will be in New England.
According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, New England has “received calls on Boutte and likely will continue to do so.”
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, New England is hoping to get a third-round pick in exchange for Boutte. At that price, Boutte would be a tremendous value for a receiver-needy team.
The LSU product has topped 500 receiving yards in each of the last two seasons, and at just 24 years old, he may not be close to reaching his NFL ceiling. He averaged an impressive 16.7 yards per catch in 2025 while providing a quarterback rating of 133.2 when targeted.
Potential Suitors: Las Vegas Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs
Tyquan Thornton: 2026 fantasy football projection for Chiefs WR | Chiefs Wire
Tyquan Thornton 2026 fantasy football projection
According to the fantasy experts at ESPN, Thornton is projected to tally 24 receptions for 359 yards and three touchdowns next season, which would translate to a total of 77.1 fantasy points scored.
Fantasy managers who are in search of a low-risk, high-reward wide receiver should consider adding Thornton to their rosters next season.
Around the NFL
“For Cleveland fans, it’s tough, right? Because for several of those seasons that Myles was here in Cleveland, he was like the one thing we got to cheer for,” Thomas said during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Last year, out of the playoff hunt for a long time, but he gave us a reason to be proud as Browns fans, chasing that sack record. And to finally get it, just to see the commitment that he had on the field to his team and to the city, it was incredible. So, it was really hard to hear that he was traded.
“It hurts everybody that Myles is not a Brown anymore.”
Thomas made sure to note that while Cleveland is once again mired in a struggle that has defined the franchise for much of its existence since returning to the NFL as an expansion franchise in 1999, the goal isn’t to root for individual players. It’s still about the greater pursuit of team success, and he believes the Browns received a return that is strong enough to inspire optimism.
“But I’m not willing to accept the fact that we’re only allowed to think that our ceiling as Browns fans is to cheer for a player that is having a good season or chasing a record,” Thomas said. “I don’t want to lose sight of the fact that we’re still here to try to win championships, and when you look at the Myles trade, to be able to get a great young player like Jared Verse, who is a tremendous pass rusher, who is a great asset to that team, he’s on a friendly contract there. Getting three draft choices for Myles, first, second and a third, it puts us in a much better position for the next two, three, four years as we’re in this building phase.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
How the Chiefs can adjust the run game for Kenneth Walker in 2026
Lead blocking looks from under center
Last season, Seattle ran 52.6% of snaps from under center, the second-highest rate in the NFL. By contrast, the Chiefs ran 80% of their snaps from shotgun and only 20% from under center, which ranked third-fewest in the NFL.
With Mahomes coming off an injury and Walker in the mix, the Chiefs should look to run the ball more frequently under center and adopt some of the lead-blocker looks that Seattle used in 2025.
Motioning into the I-Formation, Seattle runs a midzone look to the right with the fullback as a lead blocker. The frontside of the run is not perfectly blocked, and the defense has a man-in-the-box, but the backside of Seattle’s offensive line perfectly washes and seals the flowing defenders, opening up a cutback lane for Walker.
Not every running back in the league can make this play, but this is why Walker is who he is, and why he is being paid the way he is in Kansas City.
Zone is a play designed to benefit from cutback lanes, and Walker has the vision, patience, and burst to capitalize on these looks. When run from under center, it gives the defense even less time to read the look.
Social media to make you think
Follow Arrowhead Pride on Social Media
- Facebook: Like our page
- Instagram: @ArrowheadPride
- X: Follow @ArrowheadPride
- AP Staff on X: See complete list
- 90.9 The Bridge on X: Follow @909thebridge
