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One of the main points of emphasis was acknowledging that the league’s best tackles time their first movements off the snap perfectly.
“It puts you at such an advantage because you’re dictating at that point as opposed to reacting,” Thorn told Simmons.
Tackles the duo watched displayed footwork that put them in prime position to strike the pass-rusher when the opportunity was right.
Simmons noted how
he often uses a sprinter’s stance, similar to one employed by Hall of Famer Joe Thomas, against speedy rushers like Denver’s Nik Bonitto. This enables the blocker to stay in front of the pass-rusher.
Simmons also took note of the elite tackles’ patience. They might use different techniques to neutralize defenders, but he marvelled at how each has his own way of controlling the game.
He wants that for himself.
“You can tell he’s just in his own world,” Simmons said of retired Green Bay Packers tackle David Bakhtiari. “That’s just kind of what I feel like O-line is about, just getting in your own world and just spanking something.”
Remembering Lamar Hunt on the anniversary of his bold move to Kansas City | FOX4
Hunt’s legacy lives on as well, not just in Kansas City but across the sport. The AFC Championship trophy was officially designated as the Lamar Hunt Trophy in 1984, honoring his legacy and contributions to the sport.
A nine-foot statue of Hunt sits outside Arrowhead Stadium at the Founder’s Plaza along with eight fountains symbolizing the original eight AFL franchises.
Additionally, Lamar Hunt played a vital role in bringing soccer to the United States as one of the initial and primary investors in Major League Soccer (MLS). His contributions to the soccer sphere were recognized with the US Open Cup trophy bearing the Hunt name in addition to the AFC Championship trophy.
“I’m not sure that he envisioned it, but great men like him have the ability to see around the corner and see things that are coming that others can’t. I think that he had a belief, a ‘build it, and they will come,’ type of mentality,” US Men’s National Team and KC Wizards legend Alexi explained.
63 years after Hunt moved his club from Texas to the Midwest, it’s safe to say it was a wise choice.
Hunt passed away at the age of 74 on December 13, 2006 in Dallas.
Chiefs C Creed Humphrey earns another special honor this offseason | Chiefs Wire
The multiple-time Pro Bowler frequently supports the Kansas City community aside from his work on the football field. Humphrey threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Wednesday’s Boston Red Sox vs. Royals game at Kauffman Stadium.
Humphrey wore a personalized Royals jersey with his number 52, delivering a strike down the middle with relative ease. The highly accomplished center had no issues from the mound and may have bested a few of his teammates’ attempts in previous years.
A Pro Bowler for a fourth consecutive season, Humphrey earned another first-team All-Pro selection last season. He also earned successive selections to the PFWA All-NFL team from 2021-25. He was also nominated for the first-ever Protector of the Year Award at NFL Honors.
Chiefs Pro Bowler Addresses Key Responsibility With Patrick Mahomes | Yahoo! Sports
Smith recently spoke with the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Judy Battista on “The Insiders” about the pressure on him and the other offensive linemen to protect Mahomes.
“As an offensive lineman, you always feel the responsibility to keep your quarterback calm, protected, and allowing him to operate. You have the best quarterback in the game right now, so you want to just give him any opportunity to do what he does best,” Smith said.
“At the end of the day, I think the pressure is on us just as a team, and individually, you know what we can do to get better every single day,” he said. “At the end of the day, Patrick Mahomes is the best competitor I’ve ever been around.”
He said that as their year progresses, their main goal is to “keep Pat healthy” and on the field so they can avoid a repeat of last season and win games with Mahomes.
Chiefs Nick Bolton contract looks like a steal after Jack Campbell extension | KC Kingdom
More often than not, Kansas City Chiefs fans and analysts usually talk about money when they discuss Nick Bolton. Brett Veach’s decision to give him a three-year, $45 million extension was highly controversial at the time.
But now that the linebacker market has seemingly exploded, the Chiefs’ general manager can certainly feel much better about himself. The Detroit Lions just gave Jack Campbell a four-year extension worth a whopping $81 million, and they may have reset the market.
In hindsight, Bolton’s contract wasn’t that terrible then. They can easily get out of this deal in 2027 and save roughly $15 million in cap space, per Spotrac, and while Campbell has clearly been the better player, he hasn’t been $6 million-a-year better.
Around the NFL
Sources: Rams’ Matthew Stafford lands 1-year, $55M extension | ESPN
The deal for the star quarterback can rise to as much as $60 million with incentives, sources said.
Stafford was scheduled to make $40 million in the 2026 season. Of the $55 million extension, $5 million is a roster bonus that is fully guaranteed at signing, per a source. The remaining $50 million becomes guaranteed at the start of the 2027 league year, the source said. The deal also includes $5 million each year in incentives tied to playoff success.
Stafford is now tied to Los Angeles through the 2027 season with $105 million remaining on his contract, which includes the money tied to the incentives.
Giants’ Roy Robertson-Harris suffered torn Achilles in OTA practice | Giants Wire
The 10th-year veteran started all 17 games in 2025 during the first season of his two-year, $9 million contract with the Giants, recording 35 tackles and one pass defensed. He had been expected to compete for a rotational role in 2026 after the team traded star Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals in the offseason.
New York backfilled the position with veteran additions D.J. Reader and Shelby Harris, while looking to younger players like Darius Alexander and rookie Bobby Jamison-Travis to step up.
Robertson-Harris becomes the second Giant to suffer a torn Achilles in the past week, joining undrafted rookie cornerback Thaddeus Dixon.
Bryan Cook aims to help get the Bengals over the hump | Pro Football Talk
With the three-year, $40.25 million contract, the Bengals added both a skilled defender and a player who has been part of three Super Bowl teams and two NFL champions.
For now, Cook is working to help himself and his teammates get ready for the grind to come.
“I’m doing the best I can learning the system and learning the plays, learning the guys and the locker room,” Cook said this week, via Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “Just be who I can be for the team and go from there.”
It’s going to take some time. And Cook plans to take full advantage of the time he has.
“It feels like forever to the first game,” Cook said. “These are important days that you have to stack to get to that point of being very comfortable about who we are and I’m very excited about that. What we can bring to the table going into the regular season and hopefully the postseason.”
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
A year later: Looking back at the Chiefs’ 2025 Draft
LT – Josh Simmons – RD 1 – Pick 32
I almost feel like this grade should be an incomplete because, although Simmons played exceptionally well when he was on the field in his rookie season, he also missed nine games due to injury and personal off-field reasons.
And while this may not have been his fault per se, it’s hard to say that this selection was an A+ when we have yet to see Simmons play an entire season.
At the same time, from a talent level alone, Simmons was a home run selection and was pretty clearly the best tackle selected in the draft last season. Which makes anything below an A feel unjust. Simmons has all the tools and the football IQ to be one of the best linemen in the NFL if he can just stay on the field.
Still, as of the moment of this writing, all systems seem to be a go for Simmons, and for once, the Chiefs have an offseason where the team is not trying to figure out who is playing left tackle, and that alone is worth better than a B+ in my book.
Updated draft grade: A–
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