Arrowheadlines: Chiefs to welcome some season ticket members to Arrowhead for training camp

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Chiefs to Host Two STM Days Presented by GEHA at Arrowhead Stadium during 2020 Training Camp | The Mothership

The first Season Ticket Member day will be on Saturday, August 22, with the second occurring on Saturday, August 29, with both events being presented by GEHA. Due to restrictions in place as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, capacity restrictions will be in place for both days, including a maximum of 2,000 current Season Ticket Members on Saturday, August 22, and up to 5,000 current Season Ticket Members on Saturday, August 29. To celebrate the team’s Super Bowl LIV championship in a moment that includes at least a portion of the club’s Season Ticket Members, a new championship flag will be raised on the flagpole above the west end zone to match the club’s Super Bowl IV championship flag at the Season Ticket Member event on Saturday, August 29. A new championship banner will also be unveiled at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 10 during pregame festivities prior to the NFL Kickoff Game vs. the Houston Texans.

Why the Kansas City Chiefs are SN’s pick to repeat as Super Bowl champions in 2020 | Sporting News

“Break up the Kansas City Chiefs.”

That’s what all other 31 teams in the NFL might say when the Chiefs repeat as Super Bowl champions as the league’s best team for a second consecutive season.

Sporting News is officially picking the Kansas City to win Super Bowl 55. Although that might seem “chalky,” consider no team has won back-to-back Super Bowls going on 16 seasons.

SN is simply correcting the mistake from last season, too, when we had the Chiefs losing to a surprise NFC team (ahem, the Cowboys) in Super Bowl 54. Like the Chiefs did for real in that game, rallying against the 49ers (ahem, a surprise NFC team) in Miami in February, they will beat another team from the mighty NFC West in Super Bowl 55 — the Seahawks.

The Chiefs will regret handing out $645 million in extensions to Patrick Mahomes | Clutch Points

Nine players are currently signed to a deal that totals $40 million or more in total potential value, with Mahomes obviously leading the way with his monster 10 year, $450 million super deal. But defensive end Frank Clark ($104 million), Jones ($80 million), Kelce ($57.25 million), and wide receiver Tyreek Hill ($54 million) are also big drops in the bucket that looks to be having less and less water to go around in it.

Locking Mahomes up before he was to enter free agency and turn any sort of next contract into a bidding war is absolutely a smart decision on the part of the front office for Kansas City, and obviously both Jones and Kelce are at or near the top of their respective positional groups in the league, so big contracts come with the territory. But the Chiefs are an injury or two away from having an entire season go down the drain and still be on the hook for huge financial implications.

1 Trade Each NFL Team Should Propose Before the 2020 Season | Bleacher Report

Kansas City Chiefs Trade for CB Donte Jackson

Proposed Deal: The Kansas City Chiefs trade a 2021 second-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Donte Jackson.

The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t settled in the secondary.

Bashaud Breeland’s status remains up in the air after he was arrested in April and charged with possessing marijuana or hash, driving with an open container of alcohol and resisting arrest. The Chiefs’ top cover corner likely faces a league suspension. Also, fourth-round rookie L’Jarius Sneed will convert from safety to cornerback.

Where Kansas City’s back line stands at the start of the season is suspect at best.

The Carolina Panthers fall on the opposite end of the spectrum from the reigning Super Bowl champions because they’re a rebuilding squad in search of assets as well as added financial flexibility and the ability to rid the roster of those who don’t necessarily fit.

The previous coaching staff benched cornerback Donte Jackson last season. He played extremely well as a rookie but struggled in year two, and the Chiefs should immediately jump on any opportunity to acquire the 24-year-old speedster.

5 tight ends Chiefs could sign following injuries | Chiefs Wire

TE/FB Orson Charles

Charles first signed with Kansas City in May of 2017. He didn’t make 53-man roster cuts but was eventually signed to the practice squad. He’d be elevated from the practice squad in November, appearing in six games, including the Chiefs’ lone postseason game against the Tennessee Titans.

This would be a unique signing because Charles played a hybrid H-Back type of role. He can play in-line, on the wing, or out of the backfield. I remember the first pass he caught in 2017 vividly, where he chipped Joey Bosa but fell down. Alex Smith bailed on the pocket and Charles gets up off the turf and runs a route. It was a great show of effort from Charles. They’d probably get the same type of effort out of him if they were to bring him back. At the very least they’re getting someone who knows the offensive terminology and can get up to speed quickly.

AFC West Betting Odds 2020 | The Lines

2019 AFC WEST RESULTS

As mentioned, the Chiefs completed the ultimate task of winning a Super Bowl, the franchise’s first since Super Bowl IV. Mahomes proved the hype was real, orchestrating comeback after comeback. No lead was safe as Andy Reid and Mahomes erased double-digit deficits in each playoff game. Before the 2019 campaign began, the Chiefs (-225) were the odds-on favorite to take the AFC West and third in odds to win Super Bowl LIV (+800). Kansas City dominated their opponents in 2019, covering the spread a league-leading 72.2% of the time (13-5-1) despite Mahomes missing a few weeks due to a knee injury. After costing them a shot at Super Bowl LIII, the Chiefs drastically improved on defense. The 2018 squad allowed over 26 points per game (24th) and 5.8 yards allowed per play (23rd) and that turned into just 20.2 points allowed per game (10th) and 5.4 yards allowed per play (14th). That defense led Kansas City to their title, which held San Francisco to almost 9 points under their season average.

Around the NFL

Browns RB Nick Chubb placed in concussion protocol | ESPN

After catching a pass from Baker Mayfield, Chubb was horse-collar tackled by linebacker Mack Wilson along the sideline. Following the play, Chubb walked off the field with a trainer.

Coach Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday that he was “not happy” with the way that Wilson tackled Chubb, and spoke to him one-on-one shortly after the hit in practice. Tight end David Njoku immediately got in Wilson’s face, leading to a minor skirmish. When asked what he said to Wilson, Njoku answered he’d be keeping that “confidential.”

NFL’s 10 biggest questions that won’t get answered in August due to no preseason games | CBS Sports

3. Will Cam Newton need more time to acclimate?

Newton is up against it in 2020, and he’s more than fine with the challenge. That said, Super Bowl aspirations come stitched into every Patriots jersey, as Newton knows but is about to find out. And considering he’s entering on the heels of six-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady opting to take his talents to Central Florida, well, the level of difficulty could not be higher. He’s also going to have to prove he can remain durable and he joins a club that leads the league with eight opt-outs due to COVID-19 concerns; and one that doesn’t have a definitive wideout threat outside of Julian Edelman. Newton also hasn’t been gifted the nod at starter, and would’ve liked some preseason rep competition against Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer.

It’s easy to presume Newton wouldn’t have played a ton in the preseason because of his experience, but he’s only on a one-year deal — not a long-term commitment — and Bill Belichick would’ve no doubt wanted him on the game field for both competition and acclimation. All three QBs are splitting reps in camp, and Newton doesn’t have much time to take an early lead.

Five NFL free agent-team fits: Jadeveon Clowney to Patriots? | NFL.com

Logan Ryan & Cincinnati Bengals

Position: Cornerback

Age: 29

The Bengals might need to inject even more cash into their secondary now that free-agent addition Trae Waynes (torn pec) is expected to miss a good chunk of the 2020 season. Barring a trade, Cincinnati is unlikely to find a better CB replacement than the 37th-ranked free agent on NFL.com’s Top 101 list. The Bengals coaching staff should be quite familiar with the eighth-year pro, as Cincy defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has faced him 10 times since 2013 while serving as the DB coach for the Dolphins (2012-17) and Giants (‘18). As much as Ryan wants to be viewed as a safety, it’s the two-time Super Bowl winner’s experience on the perimeter and in the slot that will likely be the reason he gets paid this season. While the former Patriot and Titan surrendered six touchdowns and allowed a 92.5 passer rating to opposing QBs when he was the nearest defender in 2019, he also picked off four passes and had the second-most passes defensed (19), according to Next Gen Stats. You take the good with the bad if you’re the Bengals because A) You’ve got the cap space and B) There are too many potent passing attacks to deal with in the division. A competitive one-year agreement would seem to benefit both sides: Cincinnati would have a clear out once Waynes returns to 100 percent; Ryan would get to rebuild his market value for a possible 2021 windfall. Let’s make a deal!

Comparing George Kittle and Rob Gronkowski’s first three NFL seasons | Niners Nation (San Francisco 49ers SB Nation site)

Rookie season:

Kittle (15 games): 43 receptions, 515 yards, two TDs, 68.3 catch percentage, 65.8 PFF grade.

Gronkowski (16 games): 42 receptions, 546 yards, 10 TDs, 71.2 catch percentage, 86.7 PFF grade.

Second season:

Kittle (16 games): 88 receptions, 1,377 yards, five TDs, 64.7 catch percentage, 89.7 PFF grade.

Gronkowski (16 games): 90 receptions, 1,327 yards, 17 TDs, 72.6 catch percentage, 92.0 PFF grade.

Third season:

Kittle (14 games): 85 receptions, 1,053 yards, five TDs, 79.4 catch percentage, 95.0 PFF grade.

Gronkowski (11 games): 55 receptions, 790 yards, 11 TDs, 69.6 catch percentage, 91.1 PFF grade.

In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride

2020 Chiefs positional preview: quarterback

Sleeper candidate

Don’t sleep on Mahomes yet again changing what we know to be possible on the football field.

I’m not putting anything past Mahomes — a behind the back pass is not out of the realm of possibility this year. We saw no-look passes dominate storylines during his league MVP season in 2018. After overthrowing Travis Kelce in Week 1, we saw less of that skill during the year. We could see more of that in 2020, but it also appears to be a completely viable skill to throw behind the back based on what we saw in that clip.

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