In Kansas City, championships are the standard, not the aspiration. After another deep playoff run last season, the Chiefs head into the 2025 preseason with a roster that still boasts elite talent at the top but has question marks in its depth. This August, every snap matters, especially for players whose futures depend on showing they belong in one of the NFL’s most competitive locker rooms.

Can the Chiefs Reload Again?

For nearly a decade, the Chiefs have been the AFC’s gold standard. Of course, with that comes a different kind of preseason. August in Kansas City isn’t about discovering stars. It’s about sharpening the edges of a roster that expects to contend for a Lombardi Trophy every year. Andy Reid and his staff have built a reputation for finding value in late-bloomers, cast-offs, and rookies who can thrive in their system. 2025 figures to follow the same blueprint.

On offense, Patrick Mahomes remains firmly in his prime. That said, the cast around him has changed once again. They have undergone turnover at wide receiver, on the offensive line, and in the running back room. Defensively, Steve Spagnuolo’s unit is still built around stalwarts Chris Jones and Trent McDuffie. At the same time, the Chiefs will need a fresh wave of younger talent to emerge after an active offseason.

For players on the fringe, the message is simple: shine in August, or you won’t make it to September.

Here we’ll try to look at the three Kansas City Chiefs players on the roster bubble who must shine in the 2025 NFL preseason.

QB Bailey Zappe: The Third Quarterback Conundrum

It’s unusual for one NFL team to carry three quarterbacks with legitimate starting experience. However, that’s exactly the dilemma Kansas City faces with Mahomes, Gardner Minshew, and Bailey Zappe.

Zappe, who is a former fourth-round pick, has shown flashes of competence in his short NFL career. He posted a 4–5 record as a starter with the Patriots and briefly with the Browns. Now on his third team in three years, the 25-year-old must prove that he belongs on an active roster rather than the practice squad.

The reality for Zappe is simple: barring a dramatic preseason performance, he is likely to land behind Mahomes and Minshew. He will either be cut or kept as a developmental option. That means every rep in training camp and every snap in the preseason is a showcase not just for Kansas City, but potentially for other quarterback-needy teams across the league.

What gives Zappe a fighting chance is his poise under pressure and his ability to run an offense cleanly. If he can string together efficient, turnover-free drives and show command of Reid’s system, the Chiefs may be forced to think long and hard about keeping three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.

WR Skyy Moore: The Make-or-Break Summer

Skyy Moore entered the league as a 2022 second-round pick with high expectations of becoming a reliable weapon for Mahomes. Instead, inconsistency and injuries have kept him from making a lasting impact. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, the clock is ticking loudly.

This offseason, the Chiefs made it clear that the wide receiver position is no longer a developmental waiting room. With Rashee Rice emerging and new signings pushing for targets, Moore has to show that he’s more than just depth.

This preseason represents a crossroads: Moore has the hands, speed, and route-running ability to be a contributor. Still, he must translate those tools into results. If he can build chemistry with Mahomes during camp and flash playmaking ability in preseason games, he can still salvage his place on this roster. If not, he risks not only a reduced role in Kansas City but potentially an uncertain NFL future altogether.

RB Brashard Smith: Fighting for a Role

The Chiefs’ backfield looks locked in. They should have Isiah Pacheco as the workhorse, Kareem Hunt as the short-yardage battering ram, and Elijah Mitchell as the change-of-pace speedster. That leaves veteran Brashard Smith fighting an uphill battle to secure a spot.

Smith’s best shot? Special teams. His speed, quickness, and ability as a pass-catcher out of the backfield make him an intriguing return specialist candidate. With new NFL kickoff rules creating opportunities for dynamic returners, that role may be his ticket to sticking on the roster.

In addition to return work, Smith will need to prove in camp that he can be a versatile offensive option. He needs to be someone who can contribute as a receiving threat on third downs while also providing depth in case of injuries. If he pops on tape in August, Kansas City may find room for him as a fourth running back and special teams ace.

Every Rep Counts

For Bailey Zappe, Skyy Moore, and Brashard Smith, the 2025 preseason is a career-defining opportunity. The Chiefs’ championship window isn’t closing anytime soon, but the competition to be part of that window is fierce.

In Kansas City, nothing is handed out—not even for players with starting experience or high draft pedigrees. If these three want to avoid being on the outside looking in when the final 53-man roster is announced, they need to seize every chance in camp and make this preseason impossible to ignore.