Chiefs head coach Andy Reid shared a positive update about quarterback Patrick Mahomes’s recovery from his torn ACL on Saturday.
Mahomes has progressed to throwing the ball after being injured last December and Reid said that the quarterback “is in a good position to be able to do some things” during the team’s offseason program. The Chiefs move into the final phase of their work on May 26 and Reid said the team will be careful to make sure Mahomes continues to improve before making any final decisions.
“Once you start the clock, then the clock’s got to be rolling,” Reid said, via Pete Sweeney of the Kansas City Star. “You just have to evaluate what you want to do there. But he’s in a position where he can do everything, I think.”
If Mahomes avoids landing on the physically unable to perform at the start of training camp, it would be a good sign for his chances of being in the lineup when the Chiefs take the field in Week 1 of the regular season.
The Chiefs have declined the fifth-year option on the contract of defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah, according to the NFL’s personnel notice.
It was expected, as the option would have fully guaranteed Anudike-Uzomah $14.5 million for 2027. He is one of nine players to have his fifth-year option declined this year.
Anudike-Uzomah has started only three games since the Chiefs made him the 31st overall pick, and he missed all of last season with a right hamstring injury.
Anudike-Uzomah has appeared in 34 games, with three starts, totaling eight tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Anudike-Uzomah, 24, has played 550 defensive snaps.
The Chiefs opened their three-day rookie minicamp on Friday and they added 20 undrafted free agents to their roster as it got underway.
The group includes wide receiver Jeff Caldwell, who grabbed attention at the Scouting Combine for testing well across the board. Caldwell caught 32 passes for 478 yards and six touchdowns at Cincinnati last season.
Caldwell is joined by Duke defensive end Vincent Anthony, Miami linebacker Wesley Bissainthe, Texas defensive tackle Cole Brevard, Cal wide receiver Jacob De Jesus, Toledo edge rusher Anthony Dunn, Washington wide receiver Omari Evans, Wyoming tight end John Michael Gyllenborg, Iowa edge rusher Ethan Hurkett, Colorado defensive tackle Amari McNeill, Iowa safety Xavier Nwankpa, Louisville center Pete Nygra, Oklahoma running back Jaydn Ott, Michigan defensive tackle Damon Payne, Lousiana-Monroe cornerback D’Arco Perkins-McAllister, San Diego State cornerback Bryce Phillips, Nebraska safety DeShon Singleton, Texas A&M running back E.J. Smith, LSU guard Josh Thompson, and Houston cornerback Zelmar Vedder.
The Chiefs also have more than 70 players trying out at the minicamp, so there will likely be some roster churning in the coming days.
Tight end Travis Kelce didn’t return to the Chiefs with the hope of the team having another season like 2025 and he thinks this year’s draft class can help spark a quick turnaround in Kansas City.
Kelce said on his New Heights podcast that most clubs that land in the top 10 picks of the draft are “really not too good,” but he feels the Chiefs are an exception to that rule because of their history of success. He said he thinks the team’s first-round picks — cornerback Mansoor Delane and defensive tackle Peter Woods — can help right away and he seems particularly excited about what second-round edge rusher R Mason Thomas brings to the table.
“The guy is a f—king freak of nature in terms of athleticism and explosiveness,” Kelce said. “I can’t wait to see how this guy gets after the quarterback, man. It’s been kinda something that the Chiefs have been looking at to get better at. That’s getting after the QB and really putting quarterbacks under duress. Obviously, we’ve always had Chris Jones there, and George [Karlaftis] is a f—king workhorse. . . . I think this is going to be a game-changer at the edge position.”
Kelce won’t be on the field with Thomas or the two first-rounders, but he and the rest of the offense will find themselves in advantageous situations if the trio makes the kind of immediate impact he expects to see this fall.
The Chiefs opened up a spot on their 90-man roster on Wednesday.
The NFL’s daily transaction report shows that they waived running back ShunDerrick Powell. There was no corresponding addition, but it gives the Chiefs another spot to use on an undrafted rookie or other player that catches their eye.
Powell signed a futures contract in January. He signed with the Eagles after going undrafted last year, but did not make the team out of camp.
Kenneth Walker, Brashard Smith, Emari Demercado, and fifth-round pick Emmett Johnson are on the running back depth chart. A report indicated the team is also going to sign E.J. Smith, who went undrafted and is the son of Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith.
The transaction report also shows that the Chiefs released an international player exemption for offensive lineman Chukwuebuka Godrick. He played four games and made three starts last season. Godrick will not count against the 90-man limit this offseason.
