Arrowheadlines: Marty Schottenheimer among 4 Chiefs one step closer to Hall of Fame

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Four players with ties to the Chiefs move closer to the Pro Football Hall of Fame | KC Star

At the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony two years ago, Bill Cowher made a powerful plea for his former head coach in Kansas City.

Cowher, who was enshrined in Canton, Ohio, after a successful career as the Steelers head coach, made a point of saying Marty Schottenheimer deserved a spot in the Hall of Fame.

Schottenheimer, who coached the Chiefs from 1989-98, moved a bit closer to the Hall of Fame on Thursday. He is one of 12 coach/contributors who will be considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.

[Former Chiefs scout Lloyd Wells was also among the 12 coach/contributor candidates. Former Kansas Cty wide receiver Otis Taylor and cornerback Albert Lewis are on the list of 12 senior candidates who are still under consideration for induction.]

2023 Chiefs training camp: This wide receiver is emerging as one of Patrick Mahomes’ most consistent targets | CBS Sports

After losing veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster in free agency, Kansas City was expected to lean more on in-season trade acquisition Kadarius Toney, the former Giants first-rounder. But with Toney now sidelined indefinitely with a knee injury, the 23-year-old Rice has taken the most first-team practice reps among Chiefs wide receivers, according to The Athletic.

“Rice appears to be making fewer mistakes with each passing day,” reports Nate Taylor, “and his catching ability — whether with routine passes, fastballs between multiple defenders or perfect passes from Mahomes just over the outstretched arms of a defender — has been splendid.” Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy has echoed the praise, noting Rice’s “incremental improvements.”

Second-year receiver Skyy Moore, a second-round pick in 2022, has also been a popular projection for more action in the wake of Toney’s injury. The Western Michigan product could be in line for more of a utility-type role, however, recently taking Wildcat snaps as a runner to open training camp.

Have the Chiefs Found Another Running Back Gem in Deneric Prince? | Sports Illustrated

Training camp is fully underway for the Kansas City Chiefs. Reports, commentary, and videos are coming out about how the team looks on the field from fans and media members. One name that keeps popping up is undrafted rookie running back Deneric Prince.

Prince, a Tulsa product from his college career, is positioned to make the initial 53-man roster and have a real contribution throughout the season. He has consistently been seen running with the first-team offense during camp practices and might be in line to be the team’s starting kick returner. Have the Chiefs found another diamond in the rough running back in Prince?

Chiefs’ Justin Reid returns favor to fan who sent him gift | Fox 4

The surprise of a lifetime for 11-year-old Cade Nichols, a dedicated Chiefs fan.

“Do you have a favorite player?” FOX4 Reporter Regan asked Cade on Facetime.

“Defense, we’ve got Justin Reid,” Cade answered.

Then, Justin Reid appeared on Cade’s phone.

“Justin?!” Cade said.

“Cade, what’s going on man? What’s up, Buddy,” Reid said. “Love the hat and shirt you’ve got on, man. It reminds me of us walking off the field in Phoenix just a couple months earlier. .”

Cade and his family made the drive from Nebraska to St. Joseph, Mo. for this year’s Chiefs training camp.

He wanted to give the drawings to Chiefs Safety Justin Reid — his favorite player.

“Please make sure they get to Justin Reid,” Cade said to Defensive Tackle Matt Dickerson.

Dickerson made it happen.

Colts Sign Former Chiefs Cornerback | Horsehoe Huddle

The Indianapolis Colts have finally signed a veteran cornerback. The team announced Thursday they have moved forward with signing defensive back Chris Lammons.

This name may not jump off the page for most Colts fans. However, given the need for more depth at the cornerback position, this is a decent signing.

An undrafted free agent out of South Carolina, Lammons would enter the NFL in 2019 with the Miami Dolphins. However, he would find himself on the Kansas City Chiefs for the next three seasons (2020-2022).

While in Kansas City, Lammons would play mostly special teams and put together a total of 26 tackles, three passes defended, and one interception. He also has a fumble forced and recovered in his four seasons as a pro.

Andy Reid: Patrick Mahomes on Netflix, Tyreek Hill Trade, Super Bowl, Retirement | 1-on-1 Interview | The 33rd Team

Around the NFL

Sean Payton takes shot at Nathaniel Hackett-era Broncos, vows to do opposite: ‘One of the worst coaching jobs’ | NFL.com

The Denver Broncos enter the Sean Payton era following an embarrassing 2022 campaign that floundered under former head coach Nathaniel Hackett.

Payton’s goal is to recalibrate the franchise that owns three Lombardi Trophies.

“Everything I heard about last season, we’re doing the opposite,” Payton told Jarrett Bell of USA Today.

Never one to mince words, the Super Bowl-winning coach took direct shots at the previous staff and what it allowed to occur under Hackett’s watch, particularly with star quarterback Russell Wilson.

“Oh, man,” Payton told Bell. “There’s so much dirt around that. There’s 20 dirty hands, for what was allowed, tolerated in the fricking training rooms, the meeting rooms. The offense. I don’t know Hackett. A lot of people had dirt on their hands. It wasn’t just Russell. He didn’t just flip. He still has it. This B.S. that he hit a wall? Shoot, they couldn’t get a play in. They were 29th in the league in pre-snap penalties on both sides of the ball.”

Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey to have knee surgery, sources say | ESPN

MIAMI — Dolphins star cornerback Jalen Ramsey will undergo surgery on the meniscus in his left knee and is expected to miss the start of the regular season, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Ramsey’s ACL is intact, the sources said.

It wasn’t immediately known exactly how long Ramsey will be sidelined, but one source told Schefter he could miss “a few months,” depending on how the surgery goes.

Ramsey posted on social media that he’ll “be back on that field stronger than ever.”

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Have the Chiefs helped to suppress the NFL’s running back market?

Kansas City has not given a running back a top-of-the-market contract since 2014, when Jamaal Charles was signed to a two-year extension worth $7 million in average annual value (AAV). Under Reid, the team has brought in free agents such as McCoy, Le’Veon Bell, Ronald Jones and Jerick McKinnon. But the Chiefs haven’t made big-money deals with any of them.

Still, the last five years could have turned out much differently. In 2018 — his second season — Kareem Hunt appeared unstoppable under new starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes. During the 11 games in which he played alongside Mahomes, wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce, we might have seen the most dominant Kansas City offense in franchise history.

But after a video of Hunt pushing and kicking a woman became public, the Chiefs released him. If he had remained with the team through his rookie deal, would the Chiefs have extended him after the 2019 season — or signed him to a new contract after the 2020 season? We will never know. He certainly played well enough to warrant it during his time in Kansas City.

After the team’s 2019 championship, the Chiefs ran it back with a roster that included their “luxury” first-round pick of Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Early returns suggested the Chiefs had found yet another elite back.

But since his hot start as a rookie, Edwards-Helaire has never produced at the same level — and before his fourth season, Kansas City chose not to pick up his fifth-year option. Without an enormous 2023 season — and perhaps even with one — it seems doubtful that Edwards-Helaire will be re-signed in 2024.

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