Arrowheadlines: Former Chiefs are making impact in the UFL

The latest

Inaugural All-UFL team includes several former Kansas City Chiefs | Arrowhead Addict

Breeland Speaks

For all the negativity heaved upon Breeland Speaks over the years, it’s nice to finally see him flourishing at the game of football even if it came years after he was taken in the second round by the Kansas City Chiefs.

If you’ll remember, Speaks was the very first draft selection of Brett Veach’s career as the Chiefs general manager. That entire 2018 NFL Draft class was miserable for K.C. but trading up for Speaks in the second round was the worst move of all.

Since 2018, the Raiders, Bills, Giants, Cowboys, and 49ers have all given Speaks a chance even after his initial run with the Chiefs but the only playing time he ever earned was the 16 games played during his rookie season six years ago. Fortunately, the Michigan franchise has given Speaks a chance to shine in each of the last two seasons.

The 3 things that actually matter from the Chiefs’ third open OTA session | Arrowhead Pride Premier

Voluntary OTAs are essentially a passing training camp (as head coach Andy Reid likes to remind us), which gives a significant advantage to wide receivers and tight ends. Nobody is wearing pads, so defensive players don’t hit… so there is no fear for a pass-catcher when he is running a crossing pattern across the middle of the field.

With that acknowledged, Remigio caught eight passes on Friday, including five from Patrick Mahomes and two for touchdowns.

It’s worth noting that wide receivers Rashee Rice and Kadarius Toney weren’t there, and Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy were limited, but still. I am not writing that about other wide receivers who were at the workout, such as Skyy Moore and Justin Watson.

Key concern for each AFC West team in 2024 as Raiders, Chargers, Broncos look to end Chiefs’ reign in division | CBS Sports

Who will emerge as the Chiefs’ No. 2 pass-catcher after TE Travis Kelce with Rashee Rice facing likely suspension?

Tight end Travis Kelce is obviously the Chiefs’ go-to option in the passing game, but after their latest Super Bowl run, it appeared as though 2023 second-round pick wide receiver Rashee Rice was well on his way toward becoming Mahomes’ new No. 1 in the eventual post-Kelce era. Rice ranked second on the Super Bowl champions in catches (79) and receiving yards (938) behind Kelce while leading them in receiving touchdowns (seven) as a rookie.

However, Rice’s 2024 offseason has been anything but calm. He is being sued for allegedly being at fault for a multi-vehicle crash in Dallas on March 30, and he was under investigation for allegedly hitting a photographer at a Dallas club back in May. Should Rice begin the 2024 season with a suspension, who will step up in his place? His 8.3 yards after catch per reception ranked second in the NFL among receivers last season, trailing only San Francisco 49ers All-Pro Deebo Samuel (8.8).

Will it be 2024 first-round pick (28th overall) wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who ran a record 4.21 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, or perhaps free agent signee Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, a 2019 first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens? Also, can these two bring back Mahomes’ deep passing game? Mahomes tossed 41 touchdowns of 20 or more air yards when All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill was around from 2018 through 2021. Since 2022, he has thrown only two touchdowns of 20 or more air yards in the last two seasons.

Biggest Question Facing Every NFL Team After 2024 OTAs | News, Scores | Bleacher Report

Kansas City Chiefs: Who starts at left tackle?

Offensive tackle was one of the Chiefs’ biggest issues last year, and while Jawaan Taylor returns on the right side, the team has a competition at left tackle after letting Donovan Smith walk in free agency. Second-year pro Wayna Morris is the favorite to win the job, but Morris struggled in limited action last year, and rookie Kingsley Suamataia is a project.

During OTAs, offensive line coach Andy Heck was transparent about the competition and threw a few other names into the mix, per Arrowhead Report’s Jordan Foote.

“I feel very good about the talent we have here on this team on the roster now to create some good competition there,” Heck said. “You have guys who have played in games like Wanya and Lucas Niang. [Chukwuebuka Godrick] is an exciting developmental guy, and he’s been doing very well this spring, so we wanted to give him a look out there.

“That’ll be a work in progress, we’re going to give a lot of guys some looks there, Kingsley certainly, Ethan Driskell one of our young guys. I feel good about the tackle depth that we have here to create some good competition.”

Patrick Mahomes reacts to Royals’ unbelievable comeback vs. Mariners | Chiefs Wire

Mahomes, who is a minority owner of the Royals, was delighted by the team’s comeback win against the Seattle Mariners on Friday night and took to Twitter to express his excitement about their latest victory.

Baseball has always been one of the Super Bowl LVIII MVP’s passions, and just as Mahomes has led the Chiefs to championships in his reign under center in Kansas City, the Royals hope that star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who led the comeback on Friday night, can lead the team to another World Series win.

Around the NFL

Lions violated OTA contact rules, must forfeit practice | NFL.com

Things got a little too physical at Detroit Lions organized team activities apparently.

The Lions announced Friday evening that they were notified they had violated player work rules regarding on-field physical contact and would need to forfeit Monday’s OTA practice, as a result.

The full statement from the club reads as such:

“On Friday evening the organization was made aware by the NFL and NFLPA that Organized Team Activities (OTA) practices held the week of May 27 violated player work rules pertaining to on-field physical contact pursuant to the Collective Bargaining Agreement. As a result, the team’s OTA practice scheduled for Monday, June 10 has been forfeited. We take very seriously the rules set forth within the NFL’s Offseason Program and have worked to conduct our practices accordingly. We will continue to be vigilant with our practices moving forward.”

Randy Gregory sues NFL, Broncos over $500K fines for THC use | ESPN

Randy Gregory is suing the NFL and the Broncos claiming discrimination over being fined $532,500 for taking medication containing THC for disabilities during his brief time in Denver.

In the complaint filed this week in Arapahoe County District Court, the 31-year-old pass-rusher who now plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers said he was prescribed Dronabinol for social anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders but was denied accommodations to treat those disabilities with that medicine.

The NFL and the Broncos both declined to comment on Gregory’s lawsuit when reached by The Associated Press on Friday.

The NFL no longer suspends players who test positive for THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects, but it remains among the league’s banned substances subject to fines.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs News: Planning, practice — and a teammate — saved DE BJ Thompson

“The NFL mandates that we do these emergency action plans for every team in the league — home, away and in the practice facilities,” Rick Burkholder explained to reporters after the final OTA session on Friday afternoon. “We are mandated to practice multiple times a year.”

The team’s vice-president for sports medicine and performance said his emergency action team consists of himself, trainers Julie Frymyer, David Glover, Tiffany Morton and Evan Kraft — along with Kansas University Medical Center Dr. J.P. Darsh, who maintains an office in the facility.

On Thursday, these trained professionals also had some luck working in their favor.

“We practiced on Monday with a group called Walters, Inc.,” revealed Burkholder, “who comes [in to] educate us — and goes through scenarios like the one we went through yesterday.”

But in this case, the heroic actions of placekicker Harrison Butker also played a role. He immediately ran to the training room to notify Frymyer and Glover.

“Harrison is that guy,” marveled safety Justin Reid. “He loves all of us. We’re a family. This is so much deeper than just football. We root for each other — and in a moment like that, you just have to call yourself to action. Harrison did that.”

Head coach Andy Reid wasn’t in the room for the meeting but arrived soon after the emergency began.

“I was able to be right there,” he said. “I jumped in from my office; I came down and popped in. I’m not much help — but they had it under control.”

Social media to make you think

Follow Arrowhead Pride on Social Media

• Facebook: Click here to like our page
• AP Instagram: Follow @ArrowheadPride
• AP on X: Follow @ArrowheadPride
• AP Staff on X: see complete list
• 610 Sports on X: Follow @610SportsKC