Chiefs Check-in: Chiefs acquire more depth at safety
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What’s happening in Chiefs Kingdom?
Well, the Chiefs brought back a safety, and the team voted in favor of a “Thursday Night Football” rule that may not sit well with its star quarterback.
Let’s look at the most recent and relevant Chiefs stories for the morning of April 4.
Latest in Chiefs news
Top Chiefs news
Despite Patrick Mahomes’ disapproval of Thursday night games, the Chiefs were among the teams that voted in favor for flexible scheduling of “Thursday Night Football.” The good thing is that rule didn’t pass (for now). The bad thing is that teams are now allowed to have two Thursday night games in one season. Why is that bad? Simply put, injuries. The NFL claims to have data that says there’s no higher injury risk for Thursday games, but if that’s the case, why do players hate them so much? Sure, maybe there isn’t a higher injury rate on Thursdays, but that doesn’t mean it’s not bad for players’ bodies. It’s a long season, especially with the shift to 17 regular season games. Either allow players to have a full week’s rest or add an extra bye week.
The Chiefs officially re-signed safety Deon Bush to a one-year deal. Kansas City seems pretty set at safety now: the team has Justin Reid, Bryan Cook, Mike Edwards and now Bush for another season. Plus, Nazeeh Johnson and even L’Jarius Sneed can play safety as well. Bush probably won’t see much time on defense, but he was a strong special teamer in 2022.
In case you missed it
Per NBC Sports Chicago’s David Kaplan, the Chiefs’ opponent in Germany in 2023 will be the Chicago Bears. That could be an intriguing matchup — Mahomes vs. Justin Fields, Matt Nagy vs. his old team.
The Chiefs extended their deal with Missouri Western for training camp to remain in St. Joseph through 2024.
Promising receiver Justyn Ross posted a video of a recent workout, leading many Chiefs fans to speculate whether he might play a factor in Kansas City’s offense in 2023.
Draft notes
Chiefs Wire editor Charles Goldman brought up four underrated needs for the Chiefs heading into the draft. I like the callout of return specialist as a need — after all, does the team really want its RB1 and possible WR1/2 returning kicks and punts next year?
Here are a few key dates and times for the Chiefs in April 2023, including the local pro day, offseason workouts and more.
Speaking of the local pro day, Washburn receiver James Letcher Jr. will attend the Chiefs’ local event.
Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker’s first-round draft buzz is good news for the Chiefs. Why? The more QBs off the board in round 1, the more good players for the Chiefs available at pick No. 31.
Around the AFC West
Denver Broncos news
Broncos coach Sean Payton confirmed that receiver K.J. Hamler had an injury recently which could sideline him for offseason workouts, but Payton refused to go into detail about quarterback Russell Wilson’s injury status.
Las Vegas Raiders news
The Raiders were named the ‘best fit’ for Kentucky quarterback Will Levis, which is pretty good timing considering the team plans to host Levis on a top-30 visit.
Los Angeles Chargers news
Chargers Wire editor Gavino Borquez threw out his latest Chargers four-round mock draft. This one included a scenario of the team trading back in the first round.
Around the NFL
Not much going on around the NFL as teams prepare for the draft, but one snippet worth reading about is SI.com’s Albert Breer noting that teams may not be trading for Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins because they hope and/or believe he’ll eventually be released for salary cap purposes. Not having to give up draft capital to sign Hopkins would be an ideal situation for his suitors, including the Chiefs. Of course, the team that signs him would still have to pay him, but that’s still better than paying him and giving up picks.
