Chiefs headlines for Saturday, August 2
Taylor’s criminally underrated career includes being the first player after the merger to top 1,000 yards receiving in a season. Taylor, who was also one of the greatest players in AFL history, helped the Chiefs capture the franchise’s first Super Bowl (and the final game played before the merger) with his game-clinching touchdown in Super Bowl IV.
Jason Kelce acknowledged he is a big fan of the pick during a discussion with his brother, Travis, and Chiefs guard Trey Smith in a recent episode of the “New Heights” podcast.
The elder Kelce brother referred to Simmons’ tape from his lone season at Ohio State as “absurd” and had a lofty comparison for the 22-year-old rookie.
“I’ve watched a lot of these linemen coming out the last few years,” Kelce said. “This kid, I mean, he is the closest thing I’ve seen to like a Trent Williams – like that next level strength and athleticism. The only reason he fell to you guys is because of that (patellar tendon) injury.”
Williams has long been one of the NFL’s top offensive tackles. The 37-year-old was the fourth overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and has made 11 Pro Bowls and earned three All-Pro first team nods during his 14-year career. Williams graded as Pro Football Focus’ 7th-best tackle among 81 qualified players at the position in 2024, ending a run of four consecutive seasons as a top-two tackle.
They’ll get calls. And the overriding question is whether a new team would give up a pair of first-round picks and pay Parsons the $45 million per year he likely wants in new-money average on a long-term deal.
So, who should be doing it?
The best candidates would be a contending team that hopes to go all in. Their first-round picks would likely be low. The impact Parsons makes could be significant.
The obvious candidates are the Bills and the Ravens. Both want to get past the Chiefs. Parsons could help make that happen.
The Broncos become an interesting option, too. Ownership has the money to make it happen. And getting Parsons would thrust Denver into the upper echelon of the AFC.
3. The Chiefs’ starters took part in a 14-play “long drive drill” on Friday.
Coach Reid ran the first-teamers through a 14-play “long drive drill” on Friday that tested each participant’s endurance and knowledge of the playbook.
The period, which sought to simulate the real-world experience of playing in a game, challenged the players with a series of plays one after the other in quick succession while moving down the field. Just like in a real game, substitutions and down time were limited.
Patrick Mahomes made a pair of noteworthy plays during the period, including a throw on the run to wide receiver Rashee Rice and a rocket of a pass to wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster a little bit later.
The defense impressed during the period, too, as linebacker Drue Tranquill hauled in a diving interception over the middle. Defensive tackle Chris Jones then logged an excellent snap a little later in the drill when he blew up a play with a would-be sack through the middle.
Around the NFL
What led to Parsons’ trade request?
At the start of camp, Parsons said he was not frustrated but discouraged. Without any formal negotiations, he finally believed it was necessary to make the request. It was not made lightly. Parsons grew up a Cowboys fan and on draft night in 2021 he willed becoming a Cowboy into fruition — even after Dallas traded back to No. 12 in a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Parsons said “repeated shots” led to this decision. At the opening news conference of training camp, owner and general manager Jerry Jones made a flippant remark that even if the Cowboys signed Parsons, it would not guarantee his availability because he “could get hit by a car.”
After several fans yelled, “Pay Micah!” last week, Jones called those remarks “faint” in comparison to what he heard from fans in the Lamb talks last year. Executive vice president Stephen Jones said of the fans’ chant, “It doesn’t change anything. We want to pay Micah, too. He’s got to want to be paid, too.” — Archer
But at the heart of any meaningful, consistent success this season on offense for the Chargers will be the continued development of the symbiotic relationship between Herbert and McConkey.
“Since I got here last year, we’ve been building that,” McConkey said. “The goal is to just get better, and better and better. Coach Harbaugh’s been talking about gradually building something and then, boom! It takes off. So, that’s what we’re doing. We’re not going to try and win the Super Bowl today, but it’s a start.”
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
General manager Brett Veach did so by first signing former San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Jaylon Moore and then drafting Ohio State’s Josh Simmons with the No. 32 overall pick.
A week into camp… well, so far, so good.
Simmons has taken every rep at the starting left tackle position, while Moore has rotated with Kingsley Suamataia at left guard and Jawaan Taylor at right tackle. In the Super Bowl, the Chiefs seemed to be out of viable starters. Right now, it feels like they have one too many.
It’s rare for the spotlight of an NFL training camp to surround a single offensive lineman, but there is no doubt that Simmons is getting all the attention in St. Joseph.
“He’s getting a lot of reps, which I think is important for a rookie,” said Reid of Simmons on Friday. “So he’s been in there and consistently showing up every day and working and not taking plays off or any of that. He’s a worker. He’s willing to do it. It’s just a matter of, ‘You gotta keep on going.’ But he’s done a nice job with what we’ve asked him. He’s working on all the fundamentals and techniques, so that’s a challenge for him.”
Simmons silenced many doubters when he progressed enough in his injury rehab to be a full, healthy participant during organized team activities (OTAs) — and now, training camp. Only 10 months removed from a torn patellar tendon, Simmons says the bulk of the rehab is done; he and Kansas City’s training staff have shifted their focus to maintenance work.
Rather than returning home to San Diego (or spending time at Ohio State) during the break between OTAs and training camp, Simmons stayed in Kansas City to keep his momentum going.
