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Chiefs got the steal of the NFL draft in powerful defensive force | Newsweek
The Chiefs were smart to select Woods, because at this point in the draft, it was crucial that they get a player to beef up their interior defensive line. Woods has shown flashes of being the kind of player who hasn’t nearly realized his potential yet and a tackle who could grow throughout his rookie year.
Plus, Chiefs lineman Chris Jones, 32, will work with Woods to help train the next generation, and that’s a plus for both
the Chiefs and Woods. Considering the Chiefs’ current lineup, Woods should also get playing time during his rookie year, although he likely won’t start right away.
The Kansas City Chiefs are heading into a very important year, one in which they are trying to remain in that Super Bowl/dynasty window they were nowhere near last season. And, it will take all hands on deck. That’s why tight end Travis Kelce decided to come back for what could be one last season.
And, he showed that he still had some juice in the tank last season. Kelce finished his 13th season with 851 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. Those numbers are unreal for someone with the wear and tear and mileage he has. However, his most recent highlight video making the rounds isn’t the one you would expect.
Instead, in a hilarious fashion, Kelce was seen downing a beer at the Cleveland Cavaliers playoff game. They are in the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks, and now down 3-0 after Saturday’s game. In the background of the video, you can see Taylor Swift, pop superstar and fiancée, looking a bit embarrassed by Kelce as she laughs. All in all, it’s a hilarious moment.
But, Kelce deserves to have a bit of fun. And this next season, the load will be taken off of him a bit more.
Could Alohi Gilman become the Chiefs’ next Justin Reid success story | KC Kingdom
One of the Kansas City Chiefs’ most interesting moves in free agency was a big-money substitution at the safety position. After releasing Justin Reid prior to the 2025 season, the Chiefs had a noticeable hole at the lead safety spot. Bryan Cook did an admirable job, but is not the instinctual talent of Reid, and ended up signing with the rival Cincinnati Bengals.
Enter six-year veteran Alohi Gilman, who, before being included in a midseason trade to the Baltimore Ravens last season, worked in tandem alongside Chargers superstar Derwin James for five years in LA. A sixth-round pick in 2020, Gilman quietly rose up the ranks to become a starter in 2023 and has since proven worthy of the Chiefs’ handing him a three-year, $24 million deal to be the commanding voice in the secondary.
Steve Spagnuolo has long valued having an elite mind and player on the backend who can bark out orders on the field, prevent any over-the-top big plays, and be a versatile fit. It was a massive success with Tyrann Mathieu, who was a force in turning around the Chiefs’ defensive mentality to playing aggressively and smart, helping to win the team’s first Super Bowl in 50 years.
And it’s all too well-known the impact and trust Spagnuolo put in Justin Reid to lead the backend to two straight Super Bowl wins and a chance at a three-peat. While Gilman is not near the player as Mathieu (who could very well make the Hall of Fame), and not quite as good as Reid, he’s a different mold of player and one the Chiefs feel very comfortable investing a sizable amount of capital in.
Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, Bieniemy called Jones-Drew to get his opinion on the running backs in this class. When Bieniemy asked him about the prospects he liked, Jones-Drew opined about Nebraska RB Emmett Johnson.
“(Eric) Bieniemy calls me. My guy,” Jones-Drew said. “And he’s like, ‘Hey, bro, I see these running back lists, what’s going on?’ And he’s like, ‘Who do you like?’ I was like, ‘Bro, I love Nebraska. I love Nebraska.’ I said, ‘Emmett Johnson from Nebraska.’ And see, here goes a little history for you. When I was coming out of college, it was a bunch of us, right? I had such a good year that they created a position for All-American that year, so I could be All-American because I was returning kicks and punts. Three different ways, right? I had returned punts and kicks forr touchdowns, I had receiving touchdowns, and I had rushing touchdowns. But that’s like, no one really did that. Like Reggie Bush did it a little bit, but it was really like not many others did it. So, when I go back, and I look, Emmett Johnson won that same award.”
It wasn’t just the All-Purpose All-American honors that caught Jones-Drew’s attention about Johnson, though. It was also about the way he plays the game. Also, it doesn’t hurt that Johnson had 31 touches for 232 yards and three touchdowns against Jones-Drew’s alma mater.
Chiefs still have legitimate reasons to consider L’Jarius Sneed reunion | Arrowhead Addict
While it sounds like K.C. might have done enough at corner to forget about Sneed as an option, the truth is that there’s still plenty of questions at the position. Kohou missed all of last season due to injury, so the Chiefs would be foolish to count on anything there. Elam is a bust and nothing more so far in his NFL career. Delane and Canady have never played a rep of football, so slotting them both in as instant starters outside and inside feels rather optimistic.
Basically, it’s possible that Kohou is not effective and Canady needs time and Fulton is still not trusted. If any one of those are true, then there’s room for a player like Sneed, who excelled within this very system. Remember, only two years ago, the Chiefs were able to tag-and-trade Sneed because he’d developed a reputation as a lockdown corner for a championship defense.
Around the NFL
Johnny Manziel dominates in MMA debut, says he won’t fight again | ESPN
Manziel, 33, dominated social media influencer Bob Menery, 38, in a first-round stoppage victory Saturday night at the UFC Apex Center in Las Vegas.
Manziel showed off some skills as a fighter, landing kicks to the body and scoring a takedown, and he was landing hard strikes from full mount when the referee waved the fight off at 2 minutes, 16 seconds.
He said afterward that he probably wouldn’t fight again after Saturday.
“This was good enough for one time,” Manziel said.
The fight was promoted by Kick streamer Adin Ross’ Brand Risk Promotions, which is known for pitting celebrities against content creators in boxing matches.
GM Joe Hortiz: ‘High’ priority that safety Derwin James is lifetime Charger | NFL.com
James, 29, signed a four-year, $76.5 million contract extension in 2022. He’s currently entering the final year of his deal.
Since arriving in Los Angeles as a first-round pick in 2018, James has been a big presence in the Chargers’ defense. In his rookie season, he made the first-team All-Pro roster and earned his first Pro Bowl nod with 105 tackles, six QB hits, four tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and three interceptions in 16 games.
As James enters his eighth season in the NFL, the veteran safety is looking to secure another big pay day. He’s definitely worthy of another contract for the Chargers. After sitting out the 2020 season due to a knee injury, James has made five Pro Bowl appearances in his first seven seasons with Los Angeles.
Joe Burrow on Bryan Cook: “You can tell that he’s going to set a standard” | Cincy Jungle
But enter Bryan Cook, a two-time Super Bowl champion with a proven track record of playmaking and leadership, the two qualities the Bengals’ safety room has desperately needed for three years.
And Joe Burrow can already see the impact.
”You can tell that he’s (Cook) going to set a standard in that room and make everybody live up to it and put pressure on everybody if they don’t,” Burrow told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “You see that out of Bryan Cook from Day One.”
This is very reminiscent of when Mike Hilton arrived in 2021, holding every Bengals’ defensive back, cornerback, or safety accountable. He’s just as big a reason as Bates, arguably, for the emergence of the Bengals’ secondary.
With Cook, the Bengals have that leader, a guy who played and started in 17 games in each of the last two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Predicting overs and unders for the 2026 Chiefs’ defense
Interceptions
Former Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie may have been an All-Pro, but he was far from a turnover machine. On the contrary, in his final season at California, cornerback Nohl Williams led all of college football in interceptions. Now entering his second season in the league, the Chiefs will be counting on him to step up and give them similar numbers at the pro level.
The Chiefs also traded up in the first round to select cornerback Mansoor Delane with the sixth overall selection. Delane profiles as a set-and-forget lockdown corner. The Chiefs also selected cornerback Jadon Canady in the fourth round to fortify their secondary, and brought in safety Alohi Gilman via free agency. All things considered, I feel like the Chiefs have to top their 2025 number of 10 interceptions.
Projected interceptions: 12
My take: Over
I think the Chiefs’ recent investment in the secondary pays dividends this year, as we see the birth of Kansas City’s “no-fly zone.” I think we will remember this as one of the Chiefs better secondaries in years to come.
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