Arrowheadlines: Chiefs will use 100 percent mobile ticketing soon

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Chiefs plan to go to 100 percent mobile ticketing soon | The Kansas City Star

Chiefs fans planning to attend games at Arrowhead Stadium in coming years need to get ready for a small bit of change, as team president Mark Donovan revealed at the NFL’s Annual Meeting this week that the Chiefs hope to go to 100 percent mobile ticketing in the near future.

2018 NFL free agency: Key offseason signings for all 32 teams | NFL.com

Kansas City Chiefs

Dustin Colquitt, P: Signed a three-year, $7.5 million that includes $2.965 million in full guarantees, according to Over the Cap.

Chad Henne, QB: Signed a two-year deal, per Garafolo.

Anthony Hitchens, LB: Signed a five-year, $45 million contract that includes a $14 million signing bonus and $21.29 million fully guaranteed, Rapoport and Pelissero report.

Sammy Watkins, WR: Signed a three-year, $48 million contract that includes $30 million guaranteed at signing, Rapoport reports.

Dallas Cowboys: Why Anthony Hitchens will be sorely missed | SportsDay

Whom do you think Dallas will miss more this season: Anthony Hitchens or Orlando Scandrick?

Kevin Sherrington: I don't think there's any question that's Hitchens. He was terrific, coming out of college as a fourth-round pick and pretty much making an impact from Day One. With all the uncertainty about Jaylon Smith, Hitchens was a rock. Scandrick is still a pretty good player, but the Cowboys have several options now at CB, especially with Byron Jones moving over from safety.

Gruden: 'Without a doubt' Redskins better with Alex Smith | NFL.com

"It's not one thing, it's everything. It's the entire body of work," Gruden said of Smith. "He's very good at the intermediate ball. He's good with the quick game. He can run zone reads, the [run-pass options]. Very exciting. ... The ability to ad-lib, make plays that aren't there and keep plays alive. Coaching him for the first time will be exciting because I don't think there's a limit on what he can do. He has all the thing you want a quarterback to be able to do."

Chiefs coach Andy Reid calls new Texans guard Zach Fulton one of his favorites | Houston Chronicle

Fulton, 26, started 46 games in four seasons with the Chiefs. He played center last season when Mitch Morse was injured. He also plays guard. Fulton will play guard for the Texans.

“One of my favorite guys,” Reid said. “Zach can play any position. Very smart. Very consistent. He’s not a big talker. He doesn’t say much. They’ll appreciate how he comes to work every day.”

Le'Veon Bell reportedly wants $17 million a year, which is what Antonio Brown makes | CBS Sports

Also worth noting: for as good as Bell is, he ranked No. 5 in total value among all running backs last season, according to Football Outsiders, behind Dion Lewis (who just signed a four-year, $19.8 million deal with the Titans), Todd Gurley, Alvin Kamara and Kareem Hunt. Kamara and Hunt, by the way, were rookie third-round picks who earned $465,000 last season.

Around the league

Goodell: Helmet should be for protection, not a weapon | NFL.com

"Our focus is how to take the head out of the game and make sure that we're using the helmet as protection, and it's not being used as a weapon, and that's the core of what we're focused on, and I think we made a tremendous amount of progress in that this week," Goodell said at the conclusion of the Annual League Meeting in Orlando on Wednesday.

NFL targeting rule: Enforcement could prove to be a mess | USA Today

The newly adopted NFL rule that will penalize a player for lowering “his head to initiate and make contact with his helmet against an opponent” is rooted in good intentions.

A Brief History of NFL Rule Changes Allegedly Ruining Football | The Ringer

“Nowadays the whole idea is to avoid contact,” Paul Zimmerman wrote about the rules fundamentally changing the sport of football. In Zimmerman’s book The New Thinking Man’s Guide to Pro Football, Fred Dyer of the Rams said the league “wants a circus” on the field and that defenders, specifically pass rushers, “have become the scapegoats in the dilution of the great American game.” Dyer retired 37 years ago. Zimmerman’s book was published in 1984. Five years earlier, Tom Landry complained that you simply “couldn’t play defense” against top wide receivers because the rules had been watered down so much.

NFL poised to explore possible elimination of kickoffs | NFL.com

"If you don't make changes to make it safer, we're going to do away with it. It's that serious," Murphy said of what the message to the collection of coaches and coordinators would be. "It's by far the most dangerous play in the game."

Cody Kessler traded to Jaguars from Browns for late round 2019 draft pick | Sports Illustrated

Kessler was selected by the Browns in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft and started eight games in his rookie season. He was usurped for the 2017 season by DeShone Kizer but appeared in three games. He completed 11 passes for 126 yards.

Texans completely changing offense in 2018 | Sporting News

“We have to build it up again,” O’Brien said Tuesday. “Start building a new offense. Our offense is totally different now from what it was.”

O'Brien told reporters that everyone had seen exactly what the Texans could do last season. They held back nothing in the playbook. Now they have to adjust to prevent teams from keying on what they did in 2017.

“All these teams, especially in our division, have watched all those plays,” O’Brien said. “They’re studying those things, and we have to start from scratch.”

Snead: Alec Ogletree sacrifice led to Peters, Talib deals | NFL.com

"Great leader, great human. We re-signed him because he was one of our best football players," Snead explained. "But when we went back and really analyzed, talked about, discussed what makes Wade's defense go, it's the corner position.

"And interestingly we did the Marcus Peters trade before we did the Aqib Talib trade. But once Aqib became available, how do you fit him within the parameters of your salary cap, with other things like Aaron Donald extension, things like that, coming down the line? Sometimes you have to make sacrifices to get gains. ... Once we came up with that vision, that goal, we attacked the offseason."

In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride

Why the Chiefs went with Chad Henne at the backup QB position

“I’ve always admired him,” Reid said from the league meetings in Orlando this week. “I like the way he’s wired. He has tremendous toughness. He’s seen about everything. I just think he’ll be great – he’ll understand his role with us and still be ready to compete and most of all be ready in case something happens to Patrick.”

Why Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill’s route running remains something to watch

“Tyreek can do anything,” Reid answered. “He is very smart, which people don’t know. Especially with the whole story and everything that you hear. He is a smart kid. He picks up things quickly. It is just a matter of him—remember he was a running back. It is just a matter of him learning all the intricacies of running routes.”

Chiefs’ offseason OL review: Looking for depth

This might be one of the few positions on the team that doesn’t see too much turnover this offseason. Locked-in starters are returning at four of the five positions along the offensive line, and the fifth position (left guard) appears to be a competition between two guys that have started there over the last two seasons.