Three storylines less than a month away from Chiefs training camp
There are real position battles, question marks at key positions and a hefty contract negotiation going on. The Chiefs now have nearly two months to figure it all out.
The reigning back-to-back-to-back AFC West Champs are 25 days away from heading up to Missouri Western State University in St. Joe once again. It will be head coach Andy Reid’s 13th and quarterback Patrick Mahomes' ninth trip up north as they continue to prep to defend their standing as a current NFL Dynasty.
In a departure from how they have done things in the past, the full team will report on July 21st. This is contrary to how they have done it in the past, historically having rookies, quarterbacks and eligible previously-injured players reporting a couple of days early.
Kansas City just wrapped up mandatory mini-camp, which Reid has described as a “passing camp” with the team just in “shells,” where no live contact occurs. While it was a relatively quiet offseason after getting romped in the Super Bowl, there were plenty of takeaways as well.
Many of the open-ended questions will be answered in St. Joe when the pads come on, so let’s dive into what some of those might be, or at least what Reid addressed in his last media session of the offseason programs.
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How high up is Joshua Simmons’ arrow pointing?
Back in April, earlier this year, the Kansas City Chiefs had no choice but to draft left tackle Joshua Simmons. Before his October knee injury, he was a rising prospect, with some believing he could be the first tackle taken in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Since Eric Fischer went down with an achilles tear in the 2020 AFC Championship Game, it has been a revolving door at Mahomes’ blindside. With Simmons being a top-10 talent falling to pick 32 because of an injury, how much you have to give up in a trade for a franchise left tackle and how rarely they hit the open market, Kansas City had a responsibility to select Simmons.
However, back in April, nobody envisioned him being a full participant at mandatory mini-camp, let alone training camp. When the Chiefs signed Jaylon Moore to a two-year deal back when the new league year began in March, it was assumed that he would be the left tackle. Reid says that it is not necessarily a given when asked if Simmons will start this season.
“Yeah, potentially, yes,” Reid said. “Listen, you can see his (Simmons) athletic ability, you can see his want to. He’s got a great attitude, he’s approached everything the right way, plus a little bit extra. You can tell – if you just want to look at his rehab, you can see that he had a mindset that ‘I’m going to get in there. It’s not going to be training camp. It’s going to be like now.’ He worked his tail off to get there, so you respect that part of it. He’s done a nice job in there. He’s worked well and we’ll just see. We’ll see what training camp does to him. It’s different when things are flying fast up there and you have full contact and pads on. We’ll see how he does.”
The Simmons train is rolling, but we will not know to what extent until the pads come on and I am sure Moore will put his best foot forward in what should be a healthy competition.
How does a trimmed-down Kelce fare and what will his role be?
Kelce is also entering year 13 and is following up his 12th, which was his worst statistical season since 2013, when he did not register a stat. Kelce has been critical of himself regarding last season, especially when it came to his Super Bowl performance.
He refuted the rumor that he has lost 25 pounds, but that he has down some weight. He neglects to admit this will be his last season, still leaving the door open for 2026, but you never know and there is reason to believe he is attempting to put his best foot forward in 2025. Reid has taken notice of the difference.
“I know he’s (Kelce) told you that, but you can tell he’s worked out,” Reid said when asked if he’s noticed the effects of him being in better shape. “He normally comes in in pretty good shape, so it’s not like he hasn’t been. You don’t survive as long as he has and play at the level he has if you’re not in good shape. His weight – he’s one of the guys you can fluctuate with his weight and he’s played very successfully at a higher.”
Regardless of what shape the 35-year-old is in, the most important question is what his role in the offense will be. For some time now, he has been the focal point, even throughout his struggles last season. With Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown all returning, and tight end Noah Gray waiting in the wings, what will Kelce’s job be this season?
Perhaps Kelce could be used in a more efficient way, making a bigger impact on fewer catches. Reid says his role will likely be the same as last season, but Kelce cannot hide behind his age, especially with some talented younger pieces on the roster. Fewer regular-season snaps, at the very least, would seem to reason that it would only help the Chiefs' playoff chances.
“Listen, I always watch him (Kelce),” Reid said. “I always keep an eye on him. I know he’s getting older. He doesn’t know he’s getting older, but I do. I can be the bad guy in some cases, there, if needed. If I think it’s catching up to him a little bit, I’ll pull off and put him where he needs to be. Other than that, he hasn’t shown me any of that yet. He’s done really well with it.”
Will Trey Smith get a long-term deal before the deadline?
The front office signaled its plans when Kansas City traded future Hall of Fame left guard Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears for a fourth-round pick last March. The plan seemed to be that right guard Trey Smith was a key piece of the future and that he would be the large investment made this offseason.
Three months later, Smith, 26, is still on the franchise tag. In good faith, Smith showed up and participated in the team's mandatory mini-camp, avoiding fines in the process. That is not how a lot of players would handle themselves in a contract negotiation, but it shows he wants to be here, anchoring down the right side of the offensive line.
In the Chiefs' defense, it is a tricky negotiation. When they decided to franchise tag him, that number alone is over $2 million higher per year than the highest-paid guard in the NFL. Smith may be insistent on being the highest-paid guard in the league, but he also may be insistent on the APY being $23 million, which is the tag number he is signed for right now, because at the end of the day, he will make that this season.
Of course, with all of these things, it is all about the guarantees and other nuances that go into a lucrative NFL contract. With Kingsley Suamataia being largely unknown at the left guard spot, knowing Smith will be here for the long haul would give an offensive line that struggled down the stretch last season some much-needed stability.
