Welcome back to the Arrowhead Pride Mailbag! Throughout the offseason, watch for your opportunity to submit your Kansas City Chiefs questions in The Feed, which is found on AP’s home page.
We now have our first look at this year’s squad after Thursday’s open media look at organized-team-activities (OTAs). Let’s see what’s on your minds.
Chiefs GM asks:
Will defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, or head coach Andy Reid finally start giving meaningful reps to rookies? Instead of wasting half of their rookie contract
years on the bench, while less talented Vets struggle.
I’m not sure Spagnuolo has a choice after the Chiefs allowed so many defensive free agents to depart in the offseason. The combination of the talent out the door with the first four draft picks spent on defense is a pretty loud message that the rookies are expected to play early and often.
Spags may have an unearned reputation for keeping rookies on the bench. Since arriving in Kansas City in 2019, at least one rookie has been in the Week 1 starting lineup each season except 2024 and 2025. The number of defensive snaps the 2021 and 2022 draft classes successfully took on is probably the bigger factor in rookies sitting as of late than Spagnuolo’s stubbornness.
The last time he was given no choice but to depend on rookies was 2022. That team saw a defensive rookie class gradually get better as the group marched to a Super Bowl win. The following season, the players from the class were a big part of one of the best defenses in football as Kansas City repeated.
Cornerback Mansoor Delane should be expected to take every defensive snap most weeks from his first game. I don’t expect defensive tackle Peter Woods or R Mason Thomas to nominally get many starts because they may not neatly fit in the base defense. I will be watching to see whether their rotational snap counts increase and how quickly they see the field on obvious passing downs.
On offense, I’m not sure it would be a good thing if rookies are seeing heavy snaps.
Running back Emmett Johnson should have a good chance to win the complementary role behind Kenneth Walker III, although the less-heralded free agent signing Emari Demercado may be slept on. Johnson is probably the best option in-house to be a workhorse back if Walker misses time, though no one wants that to happen.
I would love wideout Cyrus Allen to break out as a rookie and prove to be a worthwhile pick. Unfortunately, the truth is that Allen seeing significant time on the field would probably say more about the downside of employing risky players unfolding.
I wish quarterback Garrett Nussmaier the best, but I never want to see him on the field except in obvious garbage time.
Heed_Red asks:
What are the way too early indications of linebacker depth, specifically between Cooper McDonald, Jeffrey Bassa, Cole Christiansen and Jack Cochrane?
The big change in the Chiefs’ linebacker room is the loss of Leo Chenal, who never carved out a high-snap count as Spagnuolo’s SAM linebacker. When he was on the field, however, Chenal frequently delivered splash plays in a situational role.
The Chiefs largely left the position group alone despite Chenal’s departure to the Washington Commanders. Part of that may be that they simply did not think there was a comparable replacement to Chenal’s skillset available, as fellow linebacker Drue Tranquill explained to reporters on Thursday:
“I don’t know that you can replace Leo. I think he is kind of one of one in what he can do. If you just throw on the tape, you can see all the different positions he lined up at for us. They do a really good job here of creating competition. Obviously, that SAM ‘backer role is kind of up for grabs, and we have a lot of guys in our room competing hard for it, and they’ll do some creative things. He’s a great player, and Washington is definitely lucky to have him.”
Tranquill went on to praise how McDonald, Bassa, and Cochrane have looked in OTAs. He did not mention Christiansen, who has been on and off of Kansas City’s roster for four seasons without ever taking a defensive snap.
I expect Bassa to compete with Tranquill to line up next to Nick Bolton in most packages. Cochrane will probably be listed on depth charts as Bolton’s nominal backup, although Tranquill would likely actually take over as the MIKE in the event of an injury, as we saw in 2023. McDonald appears to have the inside track as the third linebacker in base packages. How he does over the next couple of weeks will probably determine if Kansas City adds a veteran to the room before training camp.
Reverse_Mojo2025 asks:
Is there any hope that defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah emerges as an ‘above replacement level’ player?
Harold Kuntz of FOX 4 in Kansas City showed Anudike-Uzomah in a video clip of defensive line warmups on Thursday. It was good to see the 2023 first-rounder with his helmet on and participating after missing the 2025 season with a hamstring tear.
That said, it’s hard to expect much out of the much-maligned draft pick. The Chiefs badly needed pass rushers in last year’s camp, and Anudike-Uzomah was hardly creating buzz with what he did before suffering the injury.
The Chiefs usually dress eight players along the defensive line. As of now, there is probably room for Anudike-Uzomah to be active and have a rotational role. However, there are some other players on the back of the roster he will need to hold off. There are also some intriguing pass rushers still available in free agency who may be waiting until closer to camp to pick a team.
The ship has probably sailed on Anudike-Uzomah delivering first-round value, but there is a range of possibilities for his season. He is still only 24 years old, and he certainly has time to carve out a rotational role to stay in the league. With a fully guaranteed salary, he probably isn’t getting cut outright, but he could be a candidate for a change-of-pace type trade with someone else’s disappointing recent draft pick before the season starts.
Kiddrsteve asks:
Do you believe there is any chance that Jeff Caldwell will make the team as WR5. If so, how much do you feel Andy Reid can trust him in a rotational spot.
Caldwell becominh the fifth wide receiver would mean the Chiefs essentially give up on one of the recent draft picks in Jalen Royals or Cyrus Allen, or perhaps that Rashee Rice’s availability continues to be in doubt.
Caldwell’s 6-foot-5 frame stood out in media images taken on Thursday. The Chiefs certainly do not have another wide receiver in his mold. However, middling stats in his only season at college football’s top level cannot be ignored. It will be up to Caldwell to make his case.
For 2026, the best question is probably not whether Caldwell can earn a rotational role on offense. His immediate focus probably needs to be on showing enough value on special teams to earn time and set him up. to showcase himself in 2027, after a year of learning the offense.
CasualFanatic asks:
Tight end Tre Watson appears to have had some good reps at OTAs so far. I think his pre-draft profile indicated he was a good blocker. Do you think he might supplant one of the other TEs for a spot on the roster as a primary blocking TE?
With recent overreaction to pre-draft athletic testing, I have always been surprised Chiefs fans haven’t found Watson more tantalizing.
Watson has teased potential since his days at Fresno State, but he has never truly delivered. He underwhelmed after joining Texas A&M in 2024 as a highly touted transfer. He was injured at the start of his first Chiefs training camp last season and never seemed to catch up.
There is almost no experience in the tight end room behind Travis Kelce and Noah Gray, so Watson should get a shot. 2024 fourth-round draft pick Jared Wiley will be the favorite for a reserve spot if he appears recovered from the ACL tear suffered midway through his rookie season. The Chiefs seem to have been intentional about keeping Watson in-house, and it won’t be surprising if he, Jake Briningstool, and rookie John Michael Gyllenborg are competing for the fourth spot in the room.
Thank you for reading this week’s Arrowhead Pride Mailbag! We will be back after next week’s mandatory minicamp with more of your thoughts. Keep watching The Feed for an opportunity to ask your questions.
