Arrowheadlines: Reggie Ragland could be the breakout player for the Chiefs in 2018

The latest

Chiefs’ top draft picks are pushing for playing time | ESPN

A breakdown of the Kansas City Chiefs 2018 draft class and its progress after four weeks of training camp.

NFL breakout players 2018: Reggie Ragland is the Chiefs’ monster in the middle | SB Nation

Maybe the most impressive thing I saw about Ragland’s play last year on film was how patient he was playing the run.

Patrick Mahomes Is Already The Most Exciting Kansas City Athlete Since Bo Jackson | The Big Lead

I’ll start by clearing up what I’m NOT saying:

That Patrick Mahomes is as good an athlete as Bo Jackson

That Joe Montana, Marcus Allen, Derrick Thomas, Tony Gonzalez, Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson, Derrick Johnson, Carlos Beltran, Eric Hosmer and any number of other Kansas City athletes are not better than Mahomes, who has not even played in a real NFL game yet

That Patrick Mahomes has proved a darn thing

Chiefs impressed by more than Patrick Mahomes’ 69-yard pass | ESPN

“That’s the cool thing with him,” offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz said. “Nothing is impossible. I mean, the ball fluttered and still went 65 or 70 yards in the air. That beyond-deep threat is always available with him.

Peter Schrager: Patrick Mahomes is about to take the league by storm this year | FOX Sports

“I don’t know if the Chiefs are better off with Patrick Mahomes, but I do know we are.”

Chiefs’ Mahomes sets social media ablaze with TD toss | Washington Post

It is already being called “The Pass” in Kansas City.

Will the Chiefs return to Missouri Western for training camp? | 41 Action News

With the Chiefs back from their temporary home at Missouri Western State University, there’s the question of will they be back next year.

Why Kirk Cousins could disappoint and Alex Smith could exceed expectations | Yahoo! Sports

Sure, the Vikings are transitioning from Pat Shurmur as offensive coordinator to former Philadelphia QB coach John DeFilippo, but DeFilippo was instrumental in helping to tailor the Eagles’ attack to the specific skills of Carson Wentz and Nick Foles. Both assistants come from the esteemed Andy Reid coaching tree, so the scheme should remain sharp. But there is a doomsday scenario here that even the most rabid of Vikings fans can recognize…

What to watch for in Week 3 of the NFL preseason | NFL

Kansas City Chiefs at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. (NFL Network)

Chiefs (1-1): Give me more Patrick Mahomes. The second-year QB impressed last week, hurling a Zeus-like thunderbolt of a touchdown pass that sailed 69 yards through the air before striking down into Tyreek Hill’s arms beyond a bewildered trio of Falcons. Injuries have exposed some depth issues on defense for the Chiefs. Coach Andy Reid’s banged-up first-teamers have struggled against their offensive counterparts, but there have been encouraging showings from 2018 draft picks Breeland Speaks, Armani Watts and Derrick Nnadi. One player who has been exciting to watch is Alex Smith-trade afterthought Kendall Fuller. The third-year cornerback has performed well in coverage and has a knack for pass-swatting. Perhaps it’s a prelude to a breakout year.

Bears (1-2): Preseasons often are smoke-and-mirror fests, so let’s not get carried away with the bland performances we’ve seen in the exhibition days of the Mitch Trubisky-Matt Nagy collaboration. The second-year quarterback hasn’t really quite broken off his rookie-year shackles, but he has shown glimpses of potential -- his passes last week to Trey Burton and Anthony Miller were beauts. Speaking of pretty performances, Kasim Edebali could be in line for plenty of snaps based on how he’s played. The 29-year-old journeyman linebacker has been a factor in the pass rush and has softened the blow of injuries to Aaron Lynch and Leonard Floyd.

NFL preseason 2018: Dates, times, schedule, storylines, how to watch every Week 3 game | CBS Sports

*Chiefs at Bears, 1 p.m. ET, NFL Network: New Bears coach Matt Nagy comes from the Andy Reid coaching tree, and in the regular season, this would be a fascinating matchup simply for the offensive strategy. Both teams are banking big on young quarterbacks this year, and it’ll be fun, if not also a bit frustrating, to see Mitchell Trubisky and Patrick Mahomes go head to head.

The ‘Do Draft’ list: Undervalued players to pick in fantasy football | ESPN

I have been preaching about Kansas City Chiefs sophomore Patrick Mahomes but also believe Bears passer Mitchell Trubisky, now that the organization has upgraded the offensive line, the skill positions and especially the coaching, will thrive. Offensive-minded Matt Nagy comes over from the Chiefs to run things, and while it does not make me want to view Trubisky as quite a top-12 QB yet, I think Burton immediately inherits the Travis Kelce role that Nagy established. Look at that Chicago offense, and it makes sense to me.

Redskins’ Jordan Reed: Sitting out Friday | CBS Sports

Reed (toe) won’t suit up for Friday’s preseason game versus the Broncos, Brian McNally of the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.

Reed will thus have one chance (Thursday, Aug. 30 in Baltimore) to make an appearance before the regular season. With the swap of Kirk Cousins for Alex Smith, Reed has only had practice to build chemistry with his new signal-caller. That said, Smith has worked with Travis Kelce and teammate Vernon Davis in previous stops, so a healthy Reed is a decent bet to repeat his production from previous seasons.

Around the league

Raiders to sign CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie | NFL

Oakland will sign former New York Giants cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie after the defensive back worked out for the organization on Wednesday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.

Roquan Smith, James Daniels could crack starting lineup for Bears | ESPN

A breakdown of the Chicago Bears’ 2018 draft class and its progress after three weeks of training camp:

Travis Frederick diagnosed with autoimmune disease | NFL

Veteran center Travis Frederick announced Wednesday he has been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disorder in which the immune system attacks the body’s nervous system in response to illness.

The NFL Team That Went All In | The Wall Street Journal

“People always go: ‘Did you exceed expectations?’” said Les Snead, the Rams’ general manager. He always replied: “Obviously.”

How CBS, Fox and NBC plan to handle the national anthem during NFL broadcasts in 2018 | USA Today

A CBS Sports spokesperson told USA TODAY Sports this week that it also does not plan to televise the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner as part of its weekly NFL broadcasts, which is the same approach it has taken in recent years.

NFL competition committee discusses helmet rule, won’t make changes | ESPN

According to a statement released by NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent, the committee resolved “that there will be no changes to the rule as approved by clubs this spring, which includes no additional use of instant replay.” But Vincent added, “The committee also determined that inadvertent or incidental contact with the helmet and/or face mask is not a foul.”

Mike Freeman’s 10-Point Stance: Aaron Rodgers Finding ‘Balance’ in NFL and Life | Bleacher Report

“I always feel like you have to have good balance in your life,” Rodgers said. “It’s something I’m really beginning to embrace. The vacations I went on this offseason, the time with close friends and family, all make me a better person.

‘White Lightning’s’ return proving big for Raiders receiving corps | ESPN

“I can’t believe Green Bay let him go, but I’m glad he’s here.” – Derek Carr, on Jordy Nelson

In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs release Charcandrick West

“I really was close with Charcandrick,” Chiefs special teams coordinator and assistant head coach Dave Toub said. “I wasn’t playing him, obviously with the concussion, but he’s a player we’re going to miss. He’s a good player, but we have thing around here—it’s next man up. We have some depth there at that position and Brett Veach, he’s made a decision that we’re all in with. Charcandrick can play in this league. He’ll go somewhere, and he’ll be playing somewhere.”

What the Chiefs are saying about Sammy Watkins

Let’s address a preseason elephant in the room, shall we? Through two games, Sammy Watkins hasn’t looked all that great.

Bob Sutton won’t rule out Orlando Scandrick competing for starting role

“Right now we are working him at corner and trying to get him settled on that first,” Sutton said. “He’s played a lot inside over his career. Right now, the focus is outside.”

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