Josh Simmons, Kingsley Suamataia will get the starter treatment and more Chiefs predictions for preseason Week 1 vs. Cardinals

Josh Simmons and Kingsley Suamataia are going to get pulled with the rest of the Chiefs’ starting O-Line

Sometimes with Andy Reid, there’s a tendency for rookies and players adjusting to a new position to stay in the game and play longer than some veteran starters during the preseason. I think that Chiefs rookie LT Josh Simmons and second-year LG Kingsley Suamataia won’t be players who fall under that category. Sure, they need all the repetitions they can get, but I also think they’ve proven themselves worthy of the starting job at each respective position during training camp. Either way, whatever the Chiefs decide will tell us about how Simmons and Suamataia are viewed heading into the regular season. Another big question is whether or not we’ll see Jawaan Taylor (knee) at right tackle on Saturday, or if Jaylon Moore will fill in for the veteran as he continues to recover. Remember, the playing surface at State Farm Stadium isn’t known to be the most friendly (see 2023 Week 1 Trent McDuffie and Harrison Butker). They might choose to hold him out for medical reasons, which would allow Moore to get some action with the starting unit.

The Chiefs will prove they’re better prepared for Rashee Rice and other wide receiver absences this year than they were last year

This might be the most complete Chiefs receiver group on the 90-man offseason roster that we’ve seen since the 2018 NFL offseason. Not only are the Chiefs prepared for Rashee Rice’s potential suspension-related absence with the combination of JuJu Smith-Schuster and rookie WR Jalen Royals, but they’re deeper all around to withstand injury absences. Hollywood Brown has been missing from training camp with an ankle injury, and the offense hasn’t exactly slowed down. Tyquan Thornton seems to be stepping into the Justin Watson role as an apparent mismatch against the latter half of a team’s defensive back room. Jason Brownlee might be the only big, jump-ball, red zone receiver ever to develop chemistry with Patrick Mahomes. Nikko Remigio has taken a necessary step forward as a receiver. There are also a few UDFA players flying under the radar, such as Jimmy Holiday and Mac Dalena, who will have a chance to prove themselves under the bright lights of preseason football.

Bailey Zappe will challenge Gardner Minshew, complicating Chiefs’ backup QB plans

To this point, Gardner Minshew has the stranglehold on the No. 2 quarterback job in Kansas City. He’s taken every single repetition with the second-team offense during training camp, while Bailey Zappe has been the third-string QB, followed by Chris Oladokun. By Day 14, Minshew had settled in a bit more than the early goings of camp, but our own Nick Roesch graded Zappe more positively on several occasions throughout camp. I think the one area Zappe might have Minshew beat is his deep ball delivery and accuracy. Both players need to work on their decision-making, particularly in the middle of the field. The preseason is the great equalizer and will perhaps show us that there’s a worthy competition here for the No. 2 QB spot. I also won’t be surprised if the team keeps three quarterbacks, regardless of some sort of late offseason quarterback competition, given what happened with Zappe on the practice squad (poached by the Browns) a season ago.

Robert Tonyan will be the third tight end behind Chiefs’ Travis Kelce and Noah Gray

This would have been a much more profound take if I had published this story before the Chiefs’ first unofficial depth chart came out. Given Jared Wiley’s ongoing swelling issues, where he tore his ACL last year, and Jake Briningstool’s nagging hamstring issue, I believe a veteran like Tonyan will not only be extremely valuable to this team but also necessary. He’s developed great chemistry with both Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew up to this point during training camp. He can line up all over the formation, but he really has some juice as a receiver. As I mentioned on FOX 4 Sports Night this past week, he’s a vested veteran, so he doesn’t have to clear waivers during 53-man roster cuts. If the Chiefs have any procedural moves to make, he could be cut initially and return to the 53-man roster.

The running back rotation won’t matter because the Chiefs will go with a role-based running back room by committee

Throughout training camp, fantasy football fans have been obsessing over our coverage of the Chiefs’ running back situation, trying to get some edge on the pecking order. I don’t necessarily see this backfield as “traditional” in the sense of having a clear-cut RB1, RB2, RB3, and so on. I really think they’re going to go with a role-based, by-committee type of approach to the backfield. Isiah Pacheco is your early down back, who is going to work between the tackles on inside zone and duo (with improved pass pro & catching ability). Kareem Hunt is the clear red zone, short-yardage back, and possibly the team’s best back in pass protection. Elijah Mitchell is the guy you want on the outside zone plays, with change-of-pace abilities. Brashard Smith is the clear gadget/receiving back option for Kansas City. Carson Steele is the only one who has true fullback capabilities outside of maybe Hunt. The only player with a truly redundant skillset is UDFA RB Elijah Young. Realistically, they could keep as many as four running backs on the 53-man roster this year, but I don’t think any one of them will really get the bulk of the carries or be “the guy,” so to speak.

Chiefs’ linebacker group has better depth than it’ll get credit for

I’ve seen some slander out there calling this position group one of the team’s weakest, and I just don’t buy it. Your starting trio is about as solid as you could ask for in the NFL nowadays with Nick Bolton, Drue Tranquill, and Leo Chenal. Bolton is described as the “Patrick Mahomes of the defense,” and whether you buy it or not, the people in that building believe it. Chenal is an athletic freak who can do it all. Tranquill is the salty veteran that every room comes to rely upon a few times a year. The competition for the last few spots on the 53-man roster behind the starting trio is going to be a bloodbath, given all the talent they’ve got there. You’ve got three undrafted guys with multiple years in the system in Jack Cochrane, Cam Jones, and Cole Christiansen. Then you’ve got three young players with very intriguing skill sets in Jeff Bassa, Cooper McDonald, and Brandon George. Those six players are competing for 2-3 spots, where special teams but also positional versatility will be key. This group of players might actually have the most to gain and lose from preseason snaps.

The Chiefs’ cornerback problems will work themselves out during the preseason

I feel like the Chiefs found themselves in a similar spot last year with Jaylen Watson as they do this year with Kristian Fulton. They couldn’t really see the full potential of their secondary realized because Watson was recovering from offseason labrum surgery. Fulton was back at practice as of last Thursday, but I don’t anticipate that he’ll play in preseason Week 1. I wouldn’t be shocked if Fulton received the same treatment as Watson last season and played a lot of snaps in preseason Week 3, in what was a sink-or-swim moment. As for the rest of the cornerback depth, things always seem to have a way of working themselves out with this group for Steve Spagnuolo. They’ve got a ton of competition at the nickel corner spot and on the outside. Nazeeh Johnson is a player that some are down on because of his struggles a season ago, but he’s a year further removed from the knee injury that cost him his 2023 NFL season. I wouldn’t sleep on him being a big-time contributor and looking better doing it than he did in 2024.