Chiefs Sign New WR After Trio of Training Camp Tryouts: Report

The Kansas City Chiefs signed a new wide receiver on day one of training camp, following the Justyn Ross departure and the Rashee Rice news last week.

Per Arrowhead Pride beat reporter Pete Sweeney, on July 21, “the Chiefs have signed former Baylor WR Hal Presley to their 90-man roster, according to the NFL’s official transactions report.”

A-to-Z Sports Kansas City reporter Charles Goldman also relayed that the Chiefs hosted a round of tryouts at the position before deciding on Presley. This trio of training camp workouts included Presley, former Green Bay Packers draft pick Amari Rodgers, and former Denver Broncos draft pick Seth Williams.

Despite the other two candidates’ draft history, it appears Presley, a 2025 undrafted prospect, has won the job.

Presley spent all four of his collegiate seasons at Baylor. He recorded a career-high 429 receiving yards in 2024, with 1,048 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns over his collegiate career.

Presley is 6-foot-3 and does not appear to have much experience as a returner.

New Chiefs WR Signing Hal Presley Will Likely Be Competing for Practice Squad Role as KC Avoids Major Addition

The Chiefs could have gone with a splashier signing after the likelihood of Rice being suspended in 2025 increased dramatically, but instead, they will stand pat with their current group and bring in another practice squad hopeful in Presley.

That’s not to say Presley can’t make the 53-man roster. Of course, anything is possible, but he’ll face a very difficult road ahead as he joins one of the deeper WR corps in football.

For starters, it’s unclear how much time Rice might miss. Some have speculated a long-term suspension as high as eight games, while others have deduced that two to four games is more likely.

Then, after that, there is a strong group of pass-catchers headlined by Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Jalen Royals. But it doesn’t end there.

Skyy Moore, Nikko Remigio, Tyquan Thornton, Jason Brownlee, and a few other promising UDFAs in Mac Dalena, Elijhah Badger and Jimmy Holiday could all be in the mix, too.

So, if Presley can nab a practice squad spot with the perennial Super Bowl contender this summer, he’d probably be content with that for the time being.

Patrick Mahomes Edges Chiefs WRs for ‘Biggest Strength’ Entering Training Camp

ESPN produced a team-by-team ranking on July 21. Within it, they listed every NFL franchise’s “biggest strength,” and the Chiefs’ WRs just missed out on claiming that honor for KC, according to analyst Mike Clay.

“Quarterback,” Clay eventually decided. Noting: “I was tempted to pivot to wide receiver, but even after finishing eighth in QBR the past two seasons, Patrick Mahomes remains Kansas City’s best player.”

“The two-time league MVP has led his team to 10-plus wins (career-high 15 in 2024) and the AFC Championship Game seven seasons in a row,” he reasoned. Adding that Mahomes has also “won the Super Bowl and the Super Bowl MVP three times each — and he’s not even 30.”

“Mahomes’ dominant reign is far from over,” Clay concluded, choosing the superstar quarterback as the Chiefs’ top strength. And rightly so.

Although the KC wide receiver room looks as talented and well-rounded as it has been in a while, Mahomes is still the straw that stirs the drink. And it will likely remain that way for a long time.