32BeatWriters - Chiefs Offseason Preview: Mahomes' Knee, Kenneth Walker & a Loaded WR Room w/ Nick Jacobs
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
49 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Jul 17, 2026
Published
Fri, July 17, 2026
23
Player insights
10
Players mentioned
Topics
Patrick MahomesKenneth Walker IIIXavier WorthyCyrus AllenJalen RoyalsGarrett NussmeierJared WileyNoah GrayRashad SmithRashee Rice
Player analysis
Player insights
Cyrus Allen
PositiveRole0:32
Allen is a route runner who already possesses the separation and short area quickness the Chiefs need, positioning him to see the field quicker than most rookies, pending his physical toughness in pads.
Insight pagePositiveProjection0:32
Allen's ability to translate his route-running skills to the NFL will depend on his physical toughness when pads come on in training camp and whether he can handle contact without developing double catches.
Insight pageGarrett Nussmeier
NegativeProjection0:09
Nussmeyer's mechanics have changed due to injury and he sails passes frequently during camp; he will need all year to break bad habits with footwork and aim points.
Insight pageJalen Royals
PositiveRole0:31
Royals is viewed as the heir apparent to Rice in the Chiefs offense, best suited for red zone work and crossing routes over the middle, with potential to thrive on slants and dig routes if he can develop those skills.
Insight pagePositiveProjection0:31
With Chad O'Shea as the new wide receivers coach, Royals will have the opportunity to reach his full potential as a receiver, marking the first window where Chiefs receivers can achieve their ceiling.
Insight pageJared Wiley
NegativeInjury0:38
After tearing his ACL, it is unclear whether Wiley has returned to his pre-injury form, as players often do not bounce back the same athletically following ACL injuries.
Insight pageKenneth Walker III
PositiveRole0:11
Walker is the bell cow running back the Chiefs paid for and is arguably the most dynamic runner they've had since Kareem Hunt early in his prime, with excellent acceleration, vision, cutback ability, and understanding of when to accelerate or slow down.
Insight pagePositiveRole0:24
Walker is expected to force safeties up the field, creating one-on-one matchups for the Chiefs' wide receivers, and the offensive line cohesiveness will be key to maximizing what the Chiefs paid for him.
Insight pagePositiveProjection0:42
Walker's success depends on offensive line cohesiveness and his vision to see holes and make cuts, with the Chiefs expected to run the ball more to keep pressure off Patrick Mahomes' knee.
Insight pageNoah Gray
NegativeProjection0:36
Gray has reached the ceiling of what he can be as a tight end and has not developed into an heir apparent to Kelsey despite the Chiefs having time to develop him.
Insight pagePatrick Mahomes
PositiveInjury0:05
Mahomes practiced during OTAs and mandatory mini camp with limited mobility testing; he performed stand-in-the-pocket and drawback passing drills without rolling out or moving around to avoid stressing his knee.
Insight pagePositiveProjection0:07
Mahomes still has his fastball and can make every touch throw from the pocket; his throwing torque with the knee should not be a concern.
Insight pagePositiveRole0:07
With the Chiefs' significant investment in the offensive line (first-round, second-round, and other high-value picks), Mahomes should not need to scramble or roll out frequently.
Insight pagePositiveRole0:28
Mahomes understands the game at a high level, including his defense's pass rush ability, coverage leaks, and offensive attack plans, which factors into his decisions on which receivers to target.
Insight pagePositiveRole0:28
Mahomes will avoid throwing to receivers who routinely drop passes or bobble the ball, as he understands the risk of turnovers and will not target them even if they appear open.
Insight pagePositiveProjection0:42
Mahomes' success depends on offensive line cohesiveness to prevent him from having to scramble, which is especially important given his knee injury and the need to reduce unnecessary running.
Insight pagePositiveRole0:44
Mahomes' willingness to run when receivers aren't getting open and plays are taken away is a key part of his competitive nature and how he adapts to roster construction, though ideally he shouldn't have to run 10-15-20+ yards regularly.
Insight pagePositiveInjury0:45
Mahomes played through a high ankle sprain in the Super Bowl win against the Eagles, running 30+ yards on one play despite the injury.
Insight pageRashad Smith
PositiveRole0:15
Smith is a dynamic athlete with serious acceleration and speed comparable to Tyreek Hill's athleticism; he could serve as a hybrid player functioning as a returner, running back, or seventh wide receiver.
Insight pageRashee Rice
PositiveRole0:19
Rice is at his best working inside as a receiver on crossing routes, dig routes, and quick short double moves, where he takes pressure off Travis Kelsey being the primary inside receiver.
Insight pageXavier Worthy
PositiveProjection0:21
Worthy has been the MVP of the offseason so far despite wearing a yellow jersey; reports indicate he is performing well in the Chiefs' system.
Insight pagePositiveRole0:22
Worthy is getting actual NFL coaching at this level for the first time under Chad O'Shea, who is teaching him specific drills and route concepts to develop him as an explosive vertical threat similar to how Tyreek Hill operated in the Chiefs offense.
Insight pagePositiveProjection0:24
If Worthy stays healthy and avoids injuries, he has the potential to reach his best statistical career as the Chiefs' explosive vertical threat working in tandem with Kenneth Walker forcing safeties up.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
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0:52Welcome in, everyone. Today we are talking Chiefs with Nick Jacobs, producer at KSHB41 and co-host of 41 is the mic.
0:59Nick has been on the sidelines. He's been, you know, seeing what's going on.
1:04We've talked a little bit about some scenarios before we started here, but Nick, welcome in.
1:09Happy to have you here. Yeah, yes. Thanks for having me.
1:12I really appreciate it. For sure. I mean, I say we just dive right in, get going with this.
1:19I mean, a lot of stuff has happened in the Chiefs offseason.
1:23I think a lot of excitement, new players coming in.
1:26We clearly have a lot to talk about. So just diving in.
1:30Let's talk position coaches real quick. Eric Bien-Ami comes back for his second stint.
1:34You know, they bring in Chad O'Shea for the coach of wide receivers.
1:39We've heard good things from both those guys, the intensity, all of that.
1:43You know, can you shed some light on just what they bring to this team?
1:48How you think it's going to impact the players and, you know, maybe what was what you expect to be different from
1:55last year to this year because of that? Yeah, I'd say the biggest thing with Eric Bien-Ami is that he's a very
2:02vocal coach and so is Chad O'Shea. So with those two guys, you're getting guys that are going to one whole players
2:09accountable to always have every I dotted every T crossed to be able to tell these guys this is what needs to be done.
2:17This is how you need to do on every play.
2:21It doesn't matter who the player is, where their hierarchy is, where their status is on the football team, whether it's Mahomes
2:28or whether it's, you know, somebody else on the team, Kelsey or whoever, they're going to hold them all to the same collective standard.
2:36And in the past, there's been coaches on staff that aren't necessarily vocal that, you know, if a mistake happens, we don't hear it on the field.
2:45If, you know, if something doesn't necessarily get done, you know, they'll fix it later or something type of mindset that you don't necessarily vocally hear.
2:53But with somebody like Chad O'Shea, who's right in front of the media, whenever we're out there in practice, you hear every
3:00single word that he has to say, whether he's 70 yards away or he's right there in front of you.
3:07And you hear him tell the players what he wants from them and when he wants it from them and how he wants it from them.
3:15I can't necessarily use some of the colorful language, but what I can say with him is it didn't matter if it
3:23was Xavier Worthy or if it's Cyrus Allen or if it's DeJesus, one of the undrafted guys they got.
3:29Each single one of those guys, he expected them to do it to the best of their ability and to have it to that level.
3:37Now, you take Eric Bien-Ami on the other hand.
3:40In the past, Eric Bien-Ami would say, you know, he'd say strike up the band whenever they have a big play and
3:47you can hear it from 60, 70 yards away.
3:50Or, you know, he has his cliche sayings that he has or his catchphrases that you get used to hearing whenever Eric's
3:57been when he was there as long as he was.
4:01With Eric, I think he's kind of found a balance now because when he was here last time, it was just, hey, this is a full steam ahead.
4:10This is how it's going to be. This is how it's going to go.
4:14But I think now he's got a little bit of a variety from having to be able to go away from Kansas
4:22City to where he understands maybe this player probably needs this a little bit more versus this guy.
4:27I need to really, you know, put down the accelerator to really get through to them.
4:33So I think that's kind of where I'm curious to see if that's where Eric's kind of found that happy medium for
4:40himself instead of just, you know, all gas, no brakes.
4:43I mean, the intensity like we talked about has always seemed to be there.
4:48I am curious to see what he does given the changes in the running back room and we're going to get there,
4:55you know, but definitely some interesting sounds like positive coaching changes in Kansas City.
5:00So without further ado, let's just jump into the quarterback scenario, right?
5:03Mahomes is coming off an injury. He's practiced a bit.
5:07You know, I think people are all very curious about what his mobility looks like from the little you've, you know, probably seen him moving around.
5:15But, you know, can we expect any kind of scheme change because of his scenario?
5:20And then can we just touch briefly on Garrett Nussmeyer and kind of where he stands currently?
5:26Yeah. So with Patrick, obviously everybody, like you said, wants to know about his mobility.
5:31So for the most part during OTAs and mandatory mini camp, they had him do more stand in the pocket or drawback passing.
5:38So they weren't going to have him move around or roll out like the Mahomes trademark would be whenever a play wouldn't go according to plan.
5:47And he's got to break the seal and just move around to force defenders in different spots to create windows for the wide receivers.
5:55So with Patrick, they don't necessarily have that element right now because they're really not trying to test that knee.
6:01So whenever you'd watch him during warmups, he could do the back pedal and he could jog.
6:07And if he needed to kind of take off and then turn a little bit, he could.
6:12And when he was doing handoffs and rolling out, he was capable of doing that whenever they would do some of the handoff drills.
6:20So Patrick showed capability with it. He didn't show any favorability or any hobbling for the most part whenever he was doing
6:27the handoff and then roll out like you'd be doing a bootleg.
6:31Sure, sure. So Patrick didn't have any issues on that front.
6:35But I think as time goes on, maybe they slowly, when they get more to the end of training camp, maybe they
6:42have a certain checkpoint to where they can start doing more of that stuff.
6:47But there's no point in OTAs and mandatory minicamp to really go full throttle on that and try to really test that
6:54knee out at this point out on a practice field.
6:57So, yeah, he wasn't a part of any of their team drills where there was a chance where a guy could be
7:04anywhere near his knee in any way, shape or form or be in that vicinity.
7:09But, yeah, when it was seven on seven, he was out there when they were installing on their side of the offense.
7:17But there isn't anybody on the defensive side. Patrick was a part of that as well.
7:22And, look, he's still got the fastball. He's still able to make every touch throw.
7:27He's still able to make every single throw on that football field from standing inside the pocket.
7:32So you shouldn't be worried about any of the torque he can put in his throw with that knee.
7:39It's just a matter of when does he get to the point where if he has to go take hop scrambling or
7:46he has to or a play didn't go according to plan and he's going to roll out and kind of buy time.
7:53When does it get to that point? But with the amount of money they've invested in the offensive line, there's no reason
8:00he should have to go running because they've invested so much.
8:04You've got a first round pick, second round pick, second round pick, sixth round that should have been a first or second
8:11round, but he had the lung issue. And then a right tackle.
8:15You know, that's kind of where you have you got a free agent, but you've also got undrafted free agents and late
8:22round guys that kind of rotate in there that are beyond serviceable at that point.
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9:12Visit HomeDepot.com. How doers get more done. In terms of Garrett Nussmeyer, whatever injury he had last year, you can tell really his changes mechanics.
9:20And it's going to be a matter of them, in my opinion, breaking him of bad habits with some of his footwork,
9:27with some of his aim points, with where he's throwing the football at.
9:31Because he sails a lot of passes during camp.
9:34So, you get to really test out a wide receiver tight end's vertical.
9:38And you get to test out their reach. And that's just, I think that's going to take all year for them to get him into a good spot.
9:48To where he's hitting right there in between the numbers, or right there in a spot.
9:53To where, you know, that wide receiver's the one getting it.
9:56Now, defenders, when they were out there on the practice field, they weren't getting to the footballs necessarily.
10:02But it's because, you know, a wide receiver is going to have to routinely make for the Madden terms.
10:09They're going to have to make a spectacular catch on a regular basis for them to be able to, you know, successfully complete that pass.
10:17So, it'll be interesting to see when camp and when the lights are on, where Nussmeyer's at.
10:22Is he a little bit different player? Because I remember Chase Daniel when he was with the Chiefs, whenever I'd watch him at camp and OTAs.
10:31I mean, you were like, why is this guy on the roster?
10:35But then when game time came on, I mean, he was right on the numbers.
10:40And he was just a different football player then.
10:43So, I mean, that's the part where I'll be intrigued to see when preseason rolls around.
10:48If Nussmeyer's different, and then what improvement he's made over the past couple months.
10:53Definitely something to keep an eye on there. I mean, the Chiefs probably don't want to keep signing free agents to be
11:00their backup and probably want some stability there. You know, I think a lot of people were excited from a name standpoint
11:07that he came, you know, basically, I hate to say free, but basically free to the Chiefs, you know, later in the draft.
11:14So, it would be interesting there. You know, then we switch right into the backfield, which is completely revamped for the most part.
11:22It's got to make most Chiefs fans pretty happy, I would imagine.
11:26At least excitement, right, in the backfield for probably the first time in a few years.
11:31You know, they go out, they get Kenneth Walker, they trap Evan Johnson, they sign Di Mercado.
11:37So, Rashad Smith's still there and, you know, seemed pretty decent in his role last year.
11:42Obviously, a lot to break down here, but can you just touch base on each back and kind of what you expect
11:49their role to be in this offense? Yeah, with Kenneth Walker, obviously, he's going to be the bell cow.
11:55That's what they paid for. And he's arguably, in my opinion, the most dynamic runner they've had since Kareem Hunt early in
12:03his prime with Mahomes early on in his career.
12:06So, I mean, Kenneth, he's got the acceleration, he's got the vision, he's got the cutback, he's got the moves when they
12:13get out in space on screen passes. He knows where he's going.
12:17He understands when to accelerate or when to slow down to let his offensive linemen build the wall that they need to.
12:24Jeez, if I'm running back some of the guys that don't understand that.
12:28They're just like, hey, let's just keep going. Oh, no.
12:31Okay. That's why they're out and running with me?
12:34Oh, okay. I'm sorry. That's my bad. And, you know, somebody like Jared McKinnon was probably, it was arguably one of the
12:42best that they had here during that time if it wasn't Damien Williams.
12:46But the Chiefs haven't even, in my opinion, haven't even had that level of running back here to be on a consistent
12:53basis since those guys haven't been here. So, Kenneth Walker, I mean, they're going to get the best out of him.
13:00And with Eric Biennemi and then, obviously, the running backs coach, DeMarco Murray, they're going to push this room in a way
13:07that hasn't been done for a while. And you take somebody like Emmitt Johnson.
13:12Emmitt, I think, is going to be more of the change of pace guy.
13:16And I think he will slowly work his way in as the year goes on.
13:21But I do think he'll end up at some point becoming the number two running back.
13:27I'm curious to see him more in terms of catching out of the backfield, what he can be in spring passes and what he can be in that.
13:36Because if he can do that, then that opens up a lot of the playbook for the Chiefs to use him.
13:43But with somebody like Eric Biennemi as their coach, if you cannot pass protect, Eric Biennemi will not let you out there.
13:50That was one of that dude's top rules. And whenever he was running backs coach early on in his career, I mean,
13:57he turned every single guy into arguably some of the best pass-blocking running backs I'd ever seen.
14:03Like Jamal Charles was fierce at that stuff. I watched him turn Spencer Ware into a great pass-blocking running back.
14:09And I remember him doing the same with Chuck Hendrick West.
14:13And that's Eric Biennemi's calling card is he builds that mentality in every single running back.
14:18So if you're another NFL team down the road and you're debating about a running back on a Chiefs roster for yours,
14:25if you're like, hey, we need somebody who knows how to pass protect that we don't have to teach, then you come
14:32to the school of Eric Biennemi's running backs to sign them up.
14:36Just on that alone, because that's a trait that is so hard for NFL teams to find in a running back.
14:43And Eric Biennemi just finds a way to instill that in people.
14:47Amari DiMorcado, I think he's going to be somewhat of maybe that power back aspect to it.
14:53Kind of more the physical between the tackles type running back.
14:56That I'm intrigued to see how they use him.
14:59Because with him, I just think he's going to...
15:02I'm curious if they're going to use him more as a short yardage guy.
15:07Because he's built enough to be able to take the physical hits just like Kenneth Walker is.
15:12And so I'm intrigued to see DiMorcado is the guy that they use, like they did Kareem Hunt last year, to where
15:20he is either a short yardage guy, maybe a couple yards here.
15:24We need a physical run between the tackles, put him in, and let him do his work.
15:29And then Brashard Smith, that is going to be the interesting guy just because he is a dynamic athlete.
15:35And he has serious acceleration, serious speed to where the only guy that the Chiefs are on that roster that I think
15:43is well above his ballpark would have been Tyree Killback whenever he was with the Chiefs.
15:48And Brashard has some elements of who Tyreek was in terms of speed.
15:52Whenever Tyreek was a running back at various points before he became a full-time wide receiver, his rookie year and advanced into
15:59that and became arguably one of the best wide receivers and one of the most explosive in the NFL for quite some time.
16:07So I think Brashard is going to be kind of the happy medium in between when they're having to make a roster decision.
16:14He could be a returner, he could be part running back, and then maybe he's that seventh wide receiver to where he's
16:22not just one specific position, but he helps them in three different avenues to where – because Smith obviously has been a
16:29wide receiver before, and he knows how to do that.
16:32So I'm intrigued on that. And then obviously a guy I think will end up being on the practice squad is going to be Emmitt Smith's son.
16:41I think he – I think the Chiefs will work him a lot at returner.
16:46And, I mean, look, whenever he's out there on the football field, I mean, he's got the sleeves just like his dad when he was with the Cowboys.
16:55He's got the gloves just like him. He's got the face mask, and he's got that visor.
17:01And he looks just like his dad out there on a football field.
17:05Different number. But, like, you know, if you were a kid watching Emmitt Smith growing up or you watch highlights of him,
17:12it's just he's everything like his dad was. And then when one of the quarterbacks threw a pass to him, the way
17:19he just reached out and palmed the football and caught it with one hand, I was like, I saw his dad do
17:26that so many times with Troy Aikman as a kid.
17:30And it just – you know, and seeing it live in person like in the Chiefs uniform, different number, it's just different.
17:37But, like, he's – I don't know if he'll necessarily make the roster.
17:41But, I mean, from a practice squad perspective, I think he's probably got the skill set.
17:46It's just a matter of where he can be from an athletic perspective and if there's any injuries in front of him.
17:54And so for people wondering, it's EJ Smith. So that's a name, obviously, to kind of keep tabs on, not necessarily for
18:01fantasy football purposes, but more so just kind of like watching his development over the next two to three years.
18:07Just to, like I said earlier, to be with DeMarco Murray and to be with Eric Biennemi, he came to the right
18:15organization to develop into an NFL running back. No, I know at 32 Beatwrights and our listeners, they always appreciate that next-level information.
18:22So that is awesome. Clearly a feel-good story as well.
18:25We all love those. Absolutely great breakdown of that backfield there.
18:29You know, and the Chiefs, obviously we hear the Chiefs and we think about all, you know, weapons, weapons, weapons, how Andy
18:36Reid's going to use them, how Mahomes is going to get to it.
18:41And, you know, I was looking at this wide receiver room and I was like, well, there's no way we can get these guys into one question.
18:49So we kind of, you know, I tried to break it up as much as I could here.
18:55And I think the obvious one to start with is, you know, back to society, Rasheed Rice, you know, obviously there's questions that can't be answered.
19:04And, you know, it's kind of sad but funny in terms of people like, well, do you think he's going to, you know, get his life together?
19:13And I don't even think we need to go down that road.
19:17You know, only probably Rasheed Rice knows that answer.
19:20But what I do want to talk about is how does this offense change when Rice is available versus when he is not available?
19:27Because I think that's kind of what we have to plan for this year, right?
19:32Yeah. Yeah, whenever – the way I think about Rasheed Rice is he is at his best when he's working inside as a receiver.
19:40So whenever he's involved in the similar routes as what Travis Kelsey is to where those crossing routes, maybe those, you know,
19:47dig routes, maybe some of those inside plants, maybe those double moves, quick short double moves and things of that nature, like, I think that's where he shines.
19:57I think that's where he's at his best. And I think that's where he takes pressure off of Travis Kelsey having to
20:04be essentially the number one wide receiver working on the inside as Kelsey's had to be for so many years on this
20:11roster if Tyreek wasn't there with him. And so I think that's where Rice is – where he thrives and where he's at his best.
20:19Now, can he play outside receiver? Sure. He's at the table as a physical wide receiver.
20:24And if you want Travis Kelsey to be at his best, having Rice as one of those inside, maybe slot receiver guys
20:32and that nature, that is where you get maximum output for this offense where those two complement one another.
20:38No, that's – I mean, when you – so if we do end up – let's just hypothetically speak here.
20:44If we do end up with no Rice on the field, does that change the scheme?
20:50Do you – like what do the Chiefs – how do the Chiefs change things to alter, to still get production from,
20:57you know, the offensive wide receivers and so on?
21:00Just if you could briefly touch on that, kind of your thoughts.
21:04Yeah, I think it'll come down to some of the other guys we're going to talk to or talk about here in
21:11a minute is what can Jalen Royals be this year?
21:14Or what could potentially rookie Cyrus Allen be? I think those guys, if Rice isn't there, I think that's where they got
21:21to find those answers potentially if they're going to use him more as an inside guy where I think he thrived whenever
21:29they went to the Super Bowl and ended up winning Rice's rookie game.
21:33Got you, got you. That makes sense. So, I mean, I guess let's dive into the next level, right?
21:39So, let's just talk Worthy and Thornton. You know, obviously the Patriots cast away seems to have found a home in Kansas City.
21:47We'd love to see that. You know, Rashid – or I'm sorry, Worthy has been in the yellow jersey.
21:53But from everything we've seen, it sounds like the reports are good.
21:57You know, he was – I saw something wrong.
22:00He was the MVP of the offseason so far, even though he's sporting that yellow jersey.
22:05So, what are our expectations for each of these guys this year?
22:09You know, what's a good year for Thornton in this offense?
22:13What do we expect from Worthy? Yeah, I'll start with Worthy.
22:16His thing is – and this is where, like we talked about earlier, with Chad O'Shea.
22:21Chad O'Shea is going to have a massive influence on what these Chiefs wide receivers can be in a way that will
22:29impact what fantasy numbers they're all going to collectively have.
22:32Because in the past, like with – going back to Chad here, part of it is with Chad, Chad's teaching these guys
22:39drill-wise each day stuff they're actually going to execute in that practice.
22:43Some of these drills are specific to what they're going to do in that practice, whether it's route-wise, what scenarios they may
22:50go against, what coverages they may go against. He's actually teaching them and building them up before they get to seven-on-seven drills
22:57or before they get to team drills. And there's drills he's doing that I haven't seen since whenever David Coley was the
23:05wide receivers coach originally with the Chiefs during Andy's early years.
23:08And it's just – there's just a different attention to detail and there's a different voice in that wide receivers room.
23:15Because for people that don't know, at one point, whenever David Coley left, Todd Pinkston was the wide receivers coach.
23:22And then he moved to running back's coach, even though he never played running back.
23:27And then Connor Embry was the wide receivers coach for the past two to three years.
23:32And the Chiefs' struggle at wide receiver was during that era.
23:35So right now, you're – the reason all of us media members are talking about Chad O'Say so much is because we're
23:43seeing a guy who actually speaks up at practice, actually uses his voice, actually gives them good key points, and then also
23:50shows passion for those guys to kind of bring out the best in them.
23:54So for somebody like Worthy, in my opinion, this is the first time Worthy is getting actual NFL coaching at this level.
24:02So what he can be, I think he's going to be the – in terms of numbers, if he can stay healthy
24:09and he doesn't accidentally – him and Travis don't actually run into each other on a match concept or, you know, he gets hurt in some way.
24:18Because I think they've been trying to find a way for Worthy to be in this offense with Tyreek was for them
24:25as that explosive athletic burner type receiver. And so I think they want him to be the guy who can get him the big plays.
24:33In an ideal world, you're wanting Kenneth Walker to force them to have to bring a safety up and then give one-on-ones up top.
24:41And then you're wanting Rice and Kelsey to be the guys who work over the middle, eat up those routes.
24:48And then you're wanting Thornton to be the other guy who can help burn vertically because him and Worthy can both burn
24:55vertically and be able to kind of get some of those one-on-one matchups to be able to throw over top, get those
25:02explosive chunk plays, and then be able to work down the field because the Chiefs offense has always thrived on explosive plays,
25:09especially during the Tyreek Hill era to where they didn't have to methodically go down the field.
25:15So for somebody like Worthy, you're hoping Chad can open up what his route tree can be to where Worthy can make
25:22two cuts, have a slant route, catch that, and then turn it into a 60, 70-yard touchdown because he does have the speed to do that.
25:31It's just a matter of him having a coach who helps make sure he has those finer points to be able to
25:38make that maneuver and for them to be able to manipulate the safeties and give them those windows.
25:44So, I mean, there's, you know, I'm saying there's a lot of different key points I'm saying that have to come together
25:51for Worthy to reach his best statistical career, but those are possible.
25:55Somebody like Michael Thornton, I see him more as more of a deep threat.
25:59I'm not saying he can't run crossing routes over the middle or he can't do the dirty work over the middle as
26:07he can, but I envision him and Worthy as more of those guys that you're trying to get to 10, 15, 20, or 20 plays.
26:15Got you. I mean, I feel like we were talking a lot probably a year or two ago about the lack of
26:22explosive plays in this offense and how they needed to become a bigger part of what was happening there.
26:28So it's good to see that the thought and fundamentals behind that seem to be, you know, a priority, which is a huge, huge win.
26:36All right. So this is pretty awesome here. So we were building out these overlays.
26:41We were talking about, oh, what are we even going to put on this slide?
26:46Because there's so many guys on the backside of this wide receiver room.
26:50So, you know, you alluded to Cyrus Allen, who I think people are excited about.
26:55We talked about briefly Jalen Royals and that name, and, you know, he's coming into that year two scenario.
27:02And then you have Caldwell and DeJesus and those guys.
27:05There always seems to be all these wide receivers every spring for the Chiefs and just in spring and summer, I'll say.
27:12And, you know, how do you see all these guys?
27:15What just the back end of this wide receiver room?
27:19How do you feel it plays out? What kind of roles can we expect in this offense?
27:24And just take it in any direction wide receiver wise you want here.
27:29Yeah. So I'll start with Jalen. Well, Jalen, when they drafted him, I come out with a Chiefs bid draft board every
27:36year except this past year, and Jalen I didn't necessarily have on for the Chiefs in terms of Chiefs fits because I
27:43saw a guy that wasn't really getting separation in college tape, and he had the foot injury that I obviously didn't know about and found out about later.
27:52But I just didn't see a guy that was getting the separation that I felt like Mahomes would be comfortable with in terms of some of his stuff.
28:01So somebody like Alex Smith, whenever Alex Smith was here, Alex wanted receivers who had two to three steps.
28:08Ideally, three steps would go. And that seems almost impossible in the NFL.
28:12But Alex needed guys that could get a certain level of separation.
28:16And so that's what he did. With Patrick Mahomes, it depends on the trust.
28:20So if he knows a guy can get a step, maybe two steps, he's going to be confident.
28:26But if the guy can't routinely catch the pass on the first attempt or if he's going to double catch or have
28:33a bobble on a regular basis that Patrick sees, then Patrick's going to be a little iffy about that sometimes.
28:40If a guy routinely is somebody who's going to bobble it and cause interceptions, like it happened with, it's not happening with
28:47the Darius Cunningham at one point, then Patrick is not, Patrick gets to a point where he's just not going to toss
28:54the ball to him because he knows they can't turn it over because Patrick understands the scenarios.
29:00And the one thing that I don't think a lot of people give Patrick credit for is Patrick understands that game in
29:07a way that I, the whole game, and I'm not just talking about like a defense and everything, but where his defense
29:14is at, where they're at in their pass rush ability, where they have leaks in their coverage in that game, or what
29:22is that offense doing, and how much, what's their attack plan that they're doing.
29:26So then Patrick feeds off that in terms of how he either goes for it and tries to push it down the
29:33field or go deep or have to score because his defense isn't doing X, Y, or Z, or if he needs to
29:41be more methodical as a quarterback and try to see if he can work it down the field.
29:46So all of that, in my opinion, factors into Patrick's head whenever he is deciding what receiver to go to, what receiver
29:54he knows he can work with, and what receivers, I mean, you know, publicly he's got to say he trusts everybody, but
30:01the tape shows what's going to happen, you know, where his, if it's either based on the scheme that he's going to
30:08do it, or if he knows, like, hey, his fans will get upset all the time, and I know they respond whenever
30:15you put coaches film up, and they're like, well, that guy's wide open.
30:20I'm like, yeah, but that guy dropped seven passes, you know, two weeks.
30:24So, like, you know, so yes, you're right, he is open, but there's a reason he's open because the defense has eyes too, and they can see it.
30:33And so that's why they're leaving him open. They're like, hey, that's as good as us not having to cover that.
30:40We're going to cover Travis Kelsey with two guys because he will make the catch and he will turn the first down.
30:47That guy back there is probably going to drop that pass.
30:51So not necessarily need any coverage to where defenses will be like, yeah, we'll take care of this because we know that
30:58that's less than 50-50 chance of being a successful play.
31:01So with somebody like Royals, Royals is a guy that I think in an ideal world, he's kind of the heir apparent
31:08for Rice if they can get him to put it together.
31:12So I think that's where he's going to be at his best, and I think that's where you work him in the red zone.
31:20You want him to be really good as a red zone receiver and be able to work in tight quarters and tight
31:27spaces and be that type of guy. And so I think if he can thrive in crossing routes, if he can thrive
31:34on slants, if he can thrive on, you know, the dig route, then I think that's kind of where he can really
31:42create a niche for himself in this offense short term and kind of turn that into something more long term.
31:48But again, we go back to the coaching. Now that you have Chad O'Shea there, he will bring out whatever Royals ceiling can be.
31:56And so that's why I don't knock the guys that have been on this roster in the past for the Chiefs receivers.
32:03I think this is the first window where they're going to all reach what their full potential could be as wide receivers.
32:10So then Cyrus Allen is a route runner. That guy's already there in terms of what the Chiefs need.
32:17And I think that's what's going to get him on the football field quicker than most rookies have for the Chiefs is
32:24just because from a route running perspective, he's already where I know they would want him to be to be able to see the football field.
32:32Now the question becomes when training camp rolls around, the pads come on, can he take the hit?
32:38Does he have those double catches at all whenever he potentially could take the hit?
32:43He sees that that guy's about ready to put a shoulder pad in his ribs.
32:48How does he do then? And those are just, you know, this is going to be a physical toughness aspect to kind of decide.
32:56But in terms of being able to create that shake, create that separation, Cyrus already has that.
33:01And he's already got a little bit of that short area quickness, lateral explosiveness that you kind of want from the guy who may be working inside.
33:10So Cyrus is a guy that I'm intrigued to see when the pads come on what he can be.
33:17But in Caldwell, the thing I'll say with him, he hasn't really stood out yet.
33:21Okay. And I mean, height-wise, he's obviously the tallest receiver there.
33:25He looks like a tight end in terms of height.
33:28But in terms of him kind of separating himself right now, that hasn't necessarily occurred, but also not getting footballs thrown to
33:36him by Patrick, you know, Patrick Mahomes. So you're, you know, fans are like, hey, can he be this guy?
33:42Well, if he's not getting involved to Patrick Mahomes yet, and he's not up there in that hierarchy of skill set and
33:49being able to work with a guy like him, then it's kind of a moot point about what his potential could be right now.
33:57Then you're just looking more at a practice squad potential on that front.
34:01The guy you were talking about, DeJesus, the undrafted free agent, he height-wise, he's, I'm not saying this to be mean, but
34:09he's one of the shorter guys on the team.
34:12And it's noticeable. Where, like, he's, his, Darren Sproles might be taller.
34:16And that's not me trying to be mean. I'm just being honest.
34:19Sure. It stands out. And then you see somebody like the right tackle, Ethan Driscoll, who's a giant of a man.
34:26Or Esopole, who's like 6'9". And you see DeJesus right by him, you're like, holy heck, man.
34:32And the joke, Matt and I admit on 41 is the mic is really, sometimes the day is out there.
34:39It looks like you have to take your kid to work day.
34:42But, like, you know, but, like, it's just a jarring visualization to see.
34:47But then you watch him on the football field, and he's got that quick twitch.
34:52He's got that acceleration. He's got that explosiveness. He catches cleanly.
34:55And he just has all those little things to where you're like, you know, I see why they brought him in.
35:02Just simply because of the athletic ability and the skill set and the finer points of being a wide receiver that he's able to deliver on.
35:11So I would say that, for the most part, I think, handles the wide receiver room, but I'll double check.
35:17Yeah, sneaky-wise, Nico Ramejo, he's their top returner. Dave Tobe, the special teams coach.
35:22So Nico's, unless somebody can be, unless multiple guys are amazing returners that they have to completely can't live without, then Nico
35:29Ramejo is probably going to be the final receiver on this team just purely because of Dave Tobe's trust in him as a both kick and punt returner.
35:38Excellent insight. I mean, like I said, there were so many guys there.
35:42We had to touch base on a couple of them, or, you know, more than a couple, clearly.
35:48Something to, you know, look out for in training camp too, like you said, which I think is always intriguing.
35:55All right, so let's final position group here. Let's talk about Kelsey.
35:59Let's talk about these tight ends. You know, the narrative has been for a minute now.
36:04Kelsey's another year older. How does this offense keep him, you know, highly efficient, so on and so forth.
36:10Is this finally the year where we see less Travis on the field and more of these other guys?
36:16You know, we have Gray. We have Wiley. We have, oh my goodness, I'm going to butcher his name, but Brennan Stuhl.
36:24And then, you know, they draft, bring in a couple guys undrafted.
36:28Where is this tight end room? Where do you think Kelsey fits into it this year?
36:33And then, are those other guys, is there anyone who's standing out to you?
36:37I'll answer other guys standing out first, no. Okay.
36:40And that's, and I'll just put that bluntly for people.
36:44Like Noah Gray, he, I feel like part of it is he's reached the ceiling of what he's going to be as a tight end.
36:52And so, I don't, you know, nobody's ever going to replace an elite Hall of Fame tight end like Travis Kelsey.
36:59So, you know, for somebody like me that's watched him his entire career and has been here covering him in person his
37:06entire career, you know, like Travis is a, Travis is a unicorn and like you just got to, you just got to accept that.
37:14They unfortunately haven't been able to find an heir apparent who can replace what he does athletically, replace what he can be
37:21as a wide receiver on this team, even kind of within the ballpark of who he is.
37:27Not necessarily him, but in that ballpark. So, they've had the, they've had an entire time to develop Noah Gray into that guy.
37:34It, it hasn't happened yet. And then you take somebody like Jake Brinningstuhl, Brinningstuhl's got to stay healthy.
37:40Like he has what it needs, what you need athletically and size-wise to kind of be what Travis Kelsey can, but Brinningstuhl
37:47has had some of those, as they like to call them the soft tissue or soft cool, soft tissue injuries with hamstrings
37:54or quads or, you know, something of that nature to where, like he may be out of practice for a day.
38:01He may be out for this day or that day.
38:05So, Brinningstuhl, the key for him is he's got to stay healthy for starters.
38:09And then if he can, I think he could potentially become the closest to it.
38:14Jared Wiley is another guy that after he tore his ACL, I don't know where he's at in terms of if he's
38:21back to who he was when the Chiefs drafted him or if he's just going to be a different player.
38:28Because the thing you can never tell with a guy, especially on is how they bounce back from injuries.
38:34And the reason I say this is because you take somebody like Juan Thornhill that played safety for the Chiefs.
38:41He had insane range and acceleration as a safety before he tore his ACL his rookie year in like week 17 against the Chargers.
38:49And he was never the same safety that he was before.
38:52Just like Brian Cook, whenever he broke, I don't know if you'd say broke his foot or ankle, but he had a
38:59foot injury that ended in that Packers Sunday night football game that, you know, he did in that December of that year.
39:07And he never had the same range again that he did before.
39:11And so whenever I'm talking about somebody like Jared Wiley, Wiley had the size.
39:15He had part of the acceleration to where like, hey, the Chiefs got something to work with that can complement Travis and maybe get Travis off the field.
39:24But after he tore his ACL, I just haven't seen that same football player yet out there to be able to definitively
39:31say, all right, that's the area of parent. So, I mean, those are the guys for the most part that are going
39:39to think, that I think are going to be in the realm potentially.
39:43But if the Chiefs genuinely went out and there was a tight end that became available through trade that had played in
39:50a similar scheme and the Chiefs decided to bring in, I would not personally be against it.
39:56I think it would help them out a great deal.
39:59But knowing them, they're going to, I think they'll stick with what they have.
40:04So if they do stick with what they have, and just so I'm hearing this right, does that mean that we should
40:11expect the same Travis Kelsey usage and all of that?
40:14Because there might not be guys that can fill in that role as successfully?
40:19That is the concern some of us media members have, is that Travis will play the same amount of snaps until the wheels fall off.
40:27So, yeah, it's a – look, Travis never wants to leave the field.
40:31Travis is a competitor. He does not want to leave that football field.
40:35So it's just a matter of what – how do they kind of thread that needle to where Travis is, hey, you're not in this package.
40:44We're taking you off the field. So you're going to hang out over here for a minute.
40:49Sorry, you're not in on this group setting. So, like, that's just kind of – that's the needle that the Chiefs always
40:57have with red because Travis wants to be out there at all times.
41:01And they don't have – I mean, then another year, Travis Kelsey, it is, right?
41:06Yeah. We'll see how that plays out. All right, Nick, let's kind of give you just an open sandbox scenario here.
41:13Just something you feel that listeners need to know about this Chiefs offense can be positive, negative, left, right.
41:19This is your sandbox to discuss whatever you want.
41:22Let us know what we need to know. Yeah, for me, obviously, because I have a passion for offensive line, what I
41:29want to see this year is this Chiefs offensive line be cohesive.
41:33You have so many quality parts that other offensive line coaches, like previous Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, would dream of
41:40having collectively in terms of the investments made on the offensive line and can turn them into an elite offensive line.
41:47So, for me, what can – can all these pieces come together and be coherent to where teams aren't running, you know,
41:54games, twists, stunts, or bringing, you know, certain delayed blitzes because they know this guy is going to turn and this guy
42:02is going to leave this open whenever they manipulate some of their pass protection calls and their scheme overall.
42:08How cohesive can they become? Because they need to be able to put that together because they've invested a lot of money.
42:15But the bigger reason is you don't want Patrick Mahomes running.
42:19What you can do right now to keep Patrick Mahomes from having to scramble from that pocket, that is going to be key.
42:26So, I think that's where this offensive line cohesiveness is going to be bigger than ever.
42:31And then to kind of tie into that, what can they be as a run-blocking attack that allows Kenneth Walker to shine,
42:39that allows Kenneth Walker to – for them to max out what they paid for Kenneth Walker and to also keep pressure off Patrick Mahomes' knee.
42:47So, how much more are they in cohesiveness whenever they're having to double team together, get up to that second level together?
42:54How does it all come together that – and then, obviously, from a running back perspective, how does the timing come in
43:02terms of the vision to where Kenneth Walker sees that hole, lets them get to a certain point, then boom, makes the
43:09cut that he needs to off of it or the cutback or whatever on that front.
43:14And then, obviously, overall, I'm just – I'm intrigued to see how much more they're willing to run the football in general
43:21to force those safeties up to be able to throw over top and how much more do they play action pass this
43:28year than they have in previous years because BNME has the mentality that he wants to be – he's a physical coach
43:36and he wants the guys to be physical and to be on point with what they're supposed to execute on each and every play.
43:44So, I know the mentality will be different on this football team.
43:47I'm just curious how much of it will feature what Eric BNME is as a coach.
43:53So, from that information, I got to ask this because it was the first thing that jumped in my head.
43:59Do we – because of the additions in the backfield, because of Patrick's injury, do we expect – is it safe to expect less rushing from Mahomes?
44:08That's the hope. It is. That's the hope. No, I think, you know, there was a lot of times really throughout the
44:15years where Patrick would pick up chunks, you know, on the ground.
44:19And I assume if he has a lane, he's going to go.
44:23And if he has a shot out of bounds, he's going to, you know, take the ball.
44:29But there are a lot of times I feel like he – because of the scenarios, you know, whether it was the
44:36lack of running back or offensive line scenario, he had to do a little bit of it.
44:42So, it's definitely interesting that you say that. I mean, I was like – I feel like that's what he's alluding to,
44:49but it's like from a listener standpoint, I got a straight ask.
44:53So, appreciate it. Yeah. No, yeah. Yeah. Basically, yes.
44:56You don't want Patrick to be having to run for 10, 15, 20 yards.
45:00But there were times in a football game where, hey, this receiver is not getting open.
45:05They've taken away this play, this play, this play.
45:08They don't necessarily have a running back. They can do, you know, X, Y, or Z.
45:14So, I've got to convert the first down. Like, that's just how it's got to be.
45:19And so, it goes back to what we talked about earlier with Patrick having a certain mindset with how a football game
45:26is going, what the skill set is of each and every guy on that football field.
45:31And then he's like, all right, I got to take off.
45:35Because, like, should he have taken off in that Super Bowl against the Eagles that they won on a, you know, high ankle sprain and ran 30-plus yards?
45:44No, he probably shouldn't have. But, like, just the way that roster was constructed, there was times where he had to do
45:51those so that they could win the football game.
45:54And that's just kind of mentality. That's just who Patrick is as a player, whether people like him or, you know, hate him.
46:02And I totally get it because of the Chiefs and the coverage that they get.
46:07It's just Patrick just plays football a certain way.
46:10And his competitive nature, that's something that I'm intrigued to see with some of the new coaches on staff with the enemy
46:17bag, with DeMarco Murray's new running backs coach, and with Chad O'Shea is the wide receivers coach.
46:22Do they bring some of that fire and some of that intensity that Patrick has?
46:27Do they bring that in some of the other spots of the roster?
46:32I mean, it sounds like it would be welcomed.
46:35You know, getting this team fired up. All right, Nick, let's wrap it up with just giving the listeners a little bit
46:42of information about yourself, where they can find your work, what you're working on, all the good stuff about Nick Jacobs.
46:49Yeah, so obviously if you want to listen to Chiefs-centric podcast, 41 is the mic that I do with Matt Derrick at Chiefs Digest.
46:57I've done that for, I don't know, a couple years now.
47:00Matt and I break down the Chiefs every week after their games.
47:04And then obviously throughout the season, do it 52 weeks a year.
47:08Our new episode just came out this morning. Where we talk about the Chiefs defense.
47:13Who are the guys that the Chiefs, who are some of the new additions, or who are the guys that need to
47:20step up for this defense to get them back to championship caliber?
47:24And even a position coach or two that is going to need to bring their A game this year because of the
47:31investments that have been made to that defense. So we talked about that.
47:36Last week we talked about the Chiefs offense. Some of the guys that need to do that.
47:41And then obviously the employer I work for at KSHB 41, the NBC TV affiliate here in Kansas City.
47:47Our sports department, McShafer, McKenzie Nelson, Matt Foster, they all do great work right now.
47:52McKenzie and Matt are having to focus on the World Cup.
47:56So we got that going on here in Kansas City.
47:59Kansas City Stadium that they have to call because FIFA wants that versus Arrowhead Stadium.
48:04So we've got a big matchup coming on Friday.
48:07But we've had four teams here in town this past week.
48:11The Netherlands is here. I know England has base camp here.
48:14Argentina has had a base camp here by Sporting.
48:17And then Algeria is out here as well. So, I mean, you know, it's been an interesting time around here.
48:24Traffic for Kansas City. You never you rarely have to worry about it unless it's 4 p.m.
48:29People leaving from downtown to go to the suburbs of their houses.
48:33But now, I mean, with World Cup, man, you feel the traffic a little bit differently to where you're like, whoa, wait, what's going on here?
48:42So, yeah, I'd say there's that. But, yeah, KSHB.com, obviously sports, backslash sports.
48:46We got that. You guys already have the Twitter handle for Jacob71.
48:50And those will be the primary spots I can thank you.
48:54Awesome. I will say that 41 is the mic is by far my favorite Chiefs podcast.
48:59I listen as often as I can. I appreciate you.
49:02I appreciate Matt. For Nick Jacobs, I'm Matt Olson.
49:05Thank you all for joining us.
