Welcome back to the Arrowhead Pride Mailbag! Throughout the season, keep watching The Feed for an opportunity to submit your questions.
The team’s quarterbacks, rookies and select veterans have already arrived at training camp at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph and have multiple practices under their belt. Let’s see what’s on our readers’ minds ahead of full squad workouts beginning on Wednesday.
Andyreidsmustache_ asks:
Although there’s supposedly no battle for right tackle, just how much of an eye is there from
the coaching perspective is being placed in it? I get the sense it’s more open than we’re being lead to believe, and for an all-world QB coming off a major surgery, it’s even more important that the entire line is as tight as possible.
Truthfully, we know very little about the team’s feelings at right tackle — the only offensive line position without a clear starter. Because the position went unaddressed both in the draft and free agency, we can infer that the team believes the solution is in-house.
Veteran Jaylon Moore and second-year man Esa Pole were floated throughout the offseason as the main options for the job. I suspect the Chiefs will begin full-squad workouts on Wednesday with the decision roughly made in the coaches’ minds. It would actually be somewhat unlike head coach Andy Reid and offensive line coach Andy Heck to have a true competition still unfolding at such an important position.
If Moore and Pole are splitting first-team work in camp, that really shouldn’t inspire confidence. If we see reports that the Chiefs are bringing in a free agent for competition, that will also speak loudly.
My guess is that Moore will get most of the first team reps with Pole sprinkling into both tackle spots for a swing role.
TheSovereign1587 asks:
Mahomes, Mahomes, Mahomes. Is quarterback Patrick Mahomes truly cleared for full activity? Can he physically handle that? Will he avoid the almost obvious move of putting him on the Physically-Unable-to-Perform (PUP) list to miss the first 4 weeks going into the early bye and play week 6?
The PUP list is no longer an option because Mahomes has taken part in practices. Part of why you see most players with any lingering injury worse than a hangnail placed on PUP is that teams want the protection against an unexpected setback in injury recovery.
Avoiding the PUP list does not guarantee Mahomes will play in Week 1, but it would be a significant upset if he does not.
All indications are the Chiefs have been cautious with his rehab and gone through the proper channels to clear him for practice. Perhaps there will be some unexpected days off at camp (likely before scheduled days off). His preseason action will probably be minimal, if it happens at all. Gameplans may keep him in the pocket much more than we are used to.
It is unrealistic to expect to have everything we are accustomed to, especially early in the season. But whatever he can or cannot do at this point appears set to be worked out on the field — and not the training room.
RoyalsFanBill asks:
Who is going to be the blocking TE?
I’m still worried about the tight end room in general. Reid also did not sound optimistic on the status of undrafted rookie John Michael Gyllenborg — who was placed on the PUP list to start camp.
Reports from beat writers about the in-house options were not encouraging, but the Chiefs seem intent on letting things play out in camp. One player to watch seems to be second-year man Trey Watson — who split his college days between Fresno State and Texas A&M. Watson has been the only tight end working in the rookie portion of camp, and he has reportedly gotten in a lot of work ahead of the veterans reporting.
There’s also a legitimate chance the Chiefs’ best blocking tight end in 2026 isn’t on the roster yet.
If the Chiefs were wanting to add an option as a pass catcher, I think they would have done that by now. However, general manager Brett Veach is always on the lookout near cut-down day for players who may be available from other teams’ rosters. It won’t be surprising if he looks for a blocking option late in camp.
The team will also have its earliest waivers priority in a generation to start the season, meaning it could take several more days than we are accustomed to for the effective “final” roster to be known.
california chief asks:
Who is replacing linebacker Leo Chenel..??
Chenal appears to have made a difficult free agency decision for the Chiefs by offering exceptional value in a limited role. Kansas City appears to have decided that they are simply not going to find a player with his unique fit.
Nominally, second-year man Cooper McDonald is expected to take over Chenal’s role in the base defense. McDonald saw extended action on defense in the Chiefs’ final two games last season after Chenal had been lost to injury.
Quietly, the team appeared to have moved another second-year player, Ethan Downs, from defensive end to linebacker. Presumably, the idea was to see if he could offer some of Chenal’s versatility. Downs left the first practice of the early portion of training camp on Saturday with an apparent injury, and Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest has since reported that he tore his ACL.
The Chiefs toyed with deploying Chenal more as a designated pass rusher in previous camps. If the Chiefs want the most out of second-round pick R Mason Thomas, he will need to at least get some work as a standing pass rush linebacker.
Thank you for reading this week’s Arrowhead Pride Mailbag! We will be back to our weekly schedule ahead of the Chiefs’ preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams on August 15. Keep watching The Feed for an opportunity to ask your questions.
