Kansas City

Chiefs

Taylor doesn’t really seem to have anything bad to say about Ross’ work this offseason so far, but he has the Chiefs keeping six wideouts over him -- Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore, Justin Watson, Richie James, and Rashee Rice. Ross will get a chance to prove his worth in the preseason, and it’s probably good news in an overall sense that he’s viewed as this close to a roster spot after a lost 2022 season.

Reid noted that Moore was one of the “higher-targeted receivers” after the team’s final day of minicamp. Moore failed to earn Reid’s trust as a rookie and caught just 22 passes for 250 yards. He was also benched from punt return duties because of fumbling issues. Getting on Reid’s good side this offseason is step one in Moore turning things around. With JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman now gone, there’s more opportunity up for grabs in Kansas City. Patrick Mahomes also praised Moore after minicamp and mentioned him as a candidate to take over Smith-Schuster’s role. Going as a WR5 in fantasy drafts, Moore is a strong upside bet for his relatively low cost.

Pacheco suffered a torn labrum and a broken bone in his hand as a rookie. He played through the issues but ultimately need surgery for both after the season. He is still recovering and isn’t expected to be ready for the start of training camp in July. In his absence, Taylor highlighted UDFA rookie Deneric Prince as a name to know during minicamp. Prince will see most of his run on special teams as a rookie but could take on a larger role if Pacheco’s recovery is delayed. He will be vying for kick return duties during training camp but should see plenty of reps as a running back in the Chiefs’ preseason outings.

Rice looks to enter training camp behind the trio of Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, with Justin Watson and Richie James also threats for real playing time. It often takes time to learn the intricacies of an Andy Reid offense and rookie wideouts -- like Moore last year -- have not exactly thrived. But the offense alone makes ancillary receivers rosterable and it wouldn’t be a surprise if at some point this year Rice was relevant in shallow leagues. He’s a good dynasty buy, regardless of how Year One goes.

The two sides have been talking through an extension to properly value the 28-year-old, who is coming off a career-high 15.5-sack season and finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting. It’s hard to be too concerned because there’s been talk since the beginning of the offseason that Jones was going to want to be in Aaron Donald’s tax bracket and that kind of negotiation was never going to play out quickly and easily. Still, it has to be at least seen as possible that Jones will be a training camp hold-in until his contract is resolved to his liking.

Prince has especially shown well, per Taylor, as a receiver. Taylor adds: “Prince has made both simple receptions and impressive receptions, impressing the coaching staff and the player personnel department in the process,” and quotes Andy Reid as saying that Prince has “really good hands.” Prince could be a long-term challenger to Jerick McKinnon’s role in the offense as a UDFA.

Clark was released in early March and had not taken any public visits that we were aware of this offseason. He had five sacks last year in 15 starts, but made Pro Bowls in each of his three prior seasons in Kansas City. He’ll likely be in on passing downs at the very least with the Broncos, and has a chance to start at EDGE.

“He’s super talented with the football in his hands, and he’s been that way his entire life in his football career,” was Nagy’s exact quote. It came in the context of Nagy talking about Toney being more prepared for 2023 now that he knows the “ins and outs” of the Chiefs’ system. “He was able to do that, and it’s exciting now for us to be able to take that to Year 2 and build that relationship with (Patrick Mahomes),” Nagy said. Toney has been the subject of a steady drumbeat of offseason hype, but that’s nothing new. He is one of this year’s most volatile WR3s.

Is Ross SZN coming? It’s too early to say, but the Chiefs seem optimistic about the second-year receiver after he missed all of last season recovering from foot surgery. According to Reid, Ross’ surgery has “worked out well up to this point,” which appears evident based on the highlights and posts floating around Twitter. Ross has a wide range of outcomes heading into this season. On one hand, he’s an undrafted player who will need to battle for playing time this offseason. On the other hand, he was a highly-touted prospect before his foot injury, who shockingly went undrafted only to land with the best quarterback in the league. It’s possible Ross is one of the more talented receivers on the Chiefs’ roster and just needs a clean bill of health to prove it. Those interested in getting in on him would be wise to do so before training camp drives his ADP to new heights.

Fowler notes that he doesn’t believe either team is “overly concerned” about landing Hopkins but that both would like to ensure Hopkins doesn’t end up with the other team. He also adds that he doesn’t expect the Chiefs to be as aggressive in their pursuit of Hopkins because the team believes that Kadarius Toney can be a true No. 1 receiver in 2023. The Browns and Jets could also be players in the Hopkins sweepstakes, although they don’t appear to be the favorites at this time. Both the Bills and Chiefs were involved in “substantive” trade talks for Hopkins according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer earlier this week, and could still be the odds-on favorite to sign him.