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Chiefs GM Brett Veach Reveals Positions Being Targeted for No. 9 Overall Pick | Heavy
Veach sat down for a discussion with NFL insider Peter Schrager on Tuesday and hit on a number of different topics. Among them was what positions he is looking at the most to spend the ninth overall selection on.
“It’s a unique draft,” Veach said. “There’s great players up and down the board. We got a lot of work done in free agency, and have flexibility to add a great player that’s going to come in here and help
us win and help us compete. I think we have a lot of work [still] to do on both sides of the ball. We added (running back) Kenneth Walker, and we have some good core pieces on the offensive line in place. Whether it be receiver, edge rusher, or defensive back, I think anything’s in play. It’s hard to say when you’re at nine because you don’t know how the first eight picks are going to go.”
Veach kept every possibility on the table by saying anything is in play, but it is interesting that he named wide receiver, edge rusher, and defensive back. Those positions have been the consensus top needs for the Chiefs for the better part of the last month. While you can’t completely dismiss them going another route, it seems very likely they will take one of those three.
2026 NFL owners meeting: Latest buzz from Phoenix | ESPN
The Chiefs are hoping to be showcased on Christmas Day for the fourth-straight year. Team owner Clark Hunt and president Mark Donovan anticipate that the Chiefs will be a part of several marquee matchups, whether on a holiday or in prime-time. They know the Chiefs’ reputation, with the hope quarterback Patrick Mahomes returns to form, grows from creating a new tradition on the NFL’s schedule, similar to the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day.
“We’d love to play on Christmas,” Donovan said Monday. “It’s a unique position. From a marketing and brand standpoint, when you think about the movie that we did, our Foolish Club studio business and the opportunity to really continue to cement our ownership of Christmas as a holiday, our brand with that is really powerful.
“We respect that the league wants to spread it around. We get it. Right now, we expect to be in a lot of prime-time games. We’ve made it pretty clear that our preference is to play at home on Christmas.” — Nate Taylor
Chiefs GM Brett Veach’s last remaining career goal might surprise you | The Kansas City Star
Thus, the goal for someone involved in that kind of run may look different than, say, a new general manager taking over a team. Just ask Veach, who joined ESPN’s Peter Schrager on “The Schrager Hour” this week at the NFL’s annual meeting in Phoenix.
“If I had one goal left in my career — and I’ve been very blessed, and it’s been an amazing run — if I had one dream, professional goal, it would be to make a Super Bowl and to enjoy it,” Veach said. “Man, I look at what the Eagles did to us, and (they) can celebrate in the fourth quarter.
“Can you imagine that feeling? Like, Seattle had it last year, I guess, and when the Eagles beat us — just being in that.”
In Super Bowl LIX, the Chiefs trailed the Philadelphia Eagles 40-6 with less than eight minutes left. In Super Bowl LX a month ago, the Seattle Seahawks led the New England Patriots with less than six minutes to play.
In each of Kansas City’s three recent Super Bowl wins (2019, 2022, 2023), it trailed by 10 points at some point. And all three came down to the wire.
Julian Edelman discusses the Kansas City Chiefs’ early offseason moves | Chiefs Wire
Kansas City’s decision to part ways with All-Pro defensive back Trent McDuffie for draft capital was another stunning move ahead of the 2026 season, while the defending champion Seattle Seahawks secured their breakout star long-term.
“That trade, the Chiefs traded away (Trent) McDuffie to the (Los Angeles) Rams. That was huge—the JSN (Jaxon Smith-Njigba) contract. I mean, well deserved, someone you don’t hear about a lot, which is a good thing.” said Edelman, “As far as off the field, but you know what he is on the field, great leader, great guy who great professionals, it seems like, and I don’t know him, that’s just me outside looking in. You could tell the way he plays the game. When an organization drafts a guy, sees him working and producing, and then rewards him. I’m all for that. So I think that was awesome.”
The Chiefs didn’t waste time at the start of free agency to address their rushing game immediately, catching the eye of the multiple-time Super Bowl champion who believes it could lead to a scheme change next season.
“Which tells you whether the Chiefs are going to go for (Jeremiyah) Love? Are they not? Probably not,” said Edelman, “They didn’t think they could get him.” So what do they do? They get Kenneth Walker III and develop the team’s design. (The Chiefs) Are they going to go more to a running-style offense because Patrick Mahomes is coming off that knee injury? I think it’s been so fun to watch, and I can’t wait to see what this draft is. A lot of great football players.”
Around the NFL
Plan to assist replacement refs among approved NFL rules changes | ESPN
PHOENIX — NFL owners approved two significant changes to the league’s replay review system Tuesday, one that is contingent on the NFL using replacement officials this season and one that will take effect whether or not there is an officiating work stoppage.
The NFL and NFL Referees Association broke off collective bargaining last week as a May 31 expiration of their contract looms. The league has already begun collecting names of college officials who could serve as replacements during the preseason and possibly the regular season, if needed.
The first set of Tuesday’s approved changes will create a massive expansion of authority for staffers in the league’s officiating command center in New York City, allowing them to consult with the on-field referee on a wide variety of called and uncalled penalties and other administrative procedures.
Rich McKay, co-chairman of the NFL’s competition committee, said the league would reallocate existing gameday employees to ensure appropriate staffing levels to cover each game if a work stoppage activates these rule changes. NFL owners are “alarmed” about the state of negotiations, sources said over the weekend, and NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller said Tuesday that owners are “insistent upon” a new CBA that provides avenues to improve the state of NFL officiating.
Steelers president Art Rooney II expects Aaron Rodgers’ decision before 2026 draft | NFL.com
The wait on Aaron Rodgers’ decision whether to play or not in 2026 could be coming sooner rather than later.
Steelers owner Art Rooney II said Tuesday that although he’s not spoken to Rodgers, Rooney expects the quarterback to announce his decision prior to Pittsburgh hosting the 2026 NFL Draft, which begins April 23.
“I have not talked to (Rodgers). Coach (Mike McCarthy) has been in contact with him pretty regularly,” Rooney told ESPN’s Brooke Pryor at the Annual League Meeting in Phoenix. “I think a decision is coming soon.
“I would say by the draft I would expect an answer.”
McCarthy said Tuesday that Rodgers is in “a very positive space” and that he and his former quarterback have been speaking regularly this offseason since McCarthy took the Steelers’ job.
“So he’s really engaged with what’s going on,” McCarthy said on Monday, via ESPN. ” … We’ll just continue to engage in conversations.”
Patriots’ Mike Vrabel doesn’t dismiss A.J. Brown trade talk | ESPN
PHOENIX — With speculation continuing to swirl that the Eagles could trade wide receiver A.J. Brown, with the Patriots a top suitor, New England coach Mike Vrabel didn’t rule out the possibility Tuesday.
“We’ve talked about this since last January. We’re going to try to do everything we can to strengthen our roster through the draft, through free agency, multiple ways of player acquisition,” Vrabel said at the NFL’s annual meeting.
“So anything that we can continue to do to strengthen the roster, we’re going to try to do.”
5 Under-the-Radar Candidates to be Traded During 2026 NFL Draft | Bleacher Report
Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux, New York Giants
Kayvon Thibodeaux has been one of the more disappointing of the New York Giants’ recent early-round picks. He joined Big Blue as the No. 5 overall pick in 2022, coming out of Oregon with plenty of fanfare and hype surrounding his ability to be a difference-maker on the edge.
While he flashed that potential early on—notably recording 11.5 sacks during his sophomore campaign—his contributions have diminished in recent years. Injuries have kept him off the field for 12 games since the start of the 2024 season and he’s hardly been effective during the 22 contests he did appear in. He tallied just 5.5 sacks in 2024 and just 2.5 this past season.
Thibodeaux is now going into the final year of his rookie deal after the team elected to pick up his nearly $15 million fifth-year option last April. Given the costs and fading production, the Giants shouldn’t hesitate to move on this offseason.
According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, league sources expect the G-Men to ship their underperforming edge defender off and utilize the cap savings to bolster weak areas along the defensive front.
Several proven veterans, such as nose tackle D.J. Reader, are still up for grabs after the initial waves of free agency and could have a bigger impact than Thibodeaux for New York’s defense.
While Thibodeaux’s trade value isn’t high after a disappointing 2025 showing, he still has some upside remaining that could net Big Blue a late-Day 2 or early-Day 3 pick. It would be a fair return at this point for a player who has struggled to contribute and stay healthy.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs’ Andy Reid shares thoughts on Kenneth Walker and Justin Fields
On Walker, Reid noted his impact in the run game in shotgun formations and under-center looks. Let’s use NFL Next Gen Stats to take a closer look at the coach’s perspective:
In 2025, Walker had 286 rushing attempts over 20 regular-season and postseason games for the Seattle Seahawks. Only 18% of those carries came in shotgun formation.
From shotgun: 51 attempts, 252 yards (4.9 yards/attempt) and three touchdowns.
Eight runs of 10 or more yards (16% of attempts)From under center: 225 attempts, 1,068 yards (4.7 yards/attempt) and six touchdowns.
34 runs of 10 or more yards (15% of attempts)For the Chiefs’ new back, an explosive play was just as likely to happen whether he aligned to the side or behind the quarterback, backing up Reid’s response to reporters.
This is significant because it doesn’t necessarily dissuade Kansas City from continuing to heavily rely on shotgun formations in the run game.
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