The Kansas City Chiefs face sky-high expectations ahead of the 2023 regular season, and preparations for their championship defense campaign have already begun in earnest at their training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri. While the Chiefs’ up-and-coming receiving corps has been the object of intense adulation at Missouri Western State University, players in other position groups are still trying to break through to secure themselves a spot on Kansas City’s final 53-man roster.
Here are eight Chiefs who have something to prove during Kansas City’s second week of training camp:
RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
It wasn’t long ago that Edwards-Helaire was a rising star on the Chiefs’ offense, but after seeing Isiah Pacheco take over his starting role last season, the fourth-year running back saw his snap share take a huge dip. That decrease in usage was partially due to injury, but Edwards-Helaire is back to full health in training camp and will need an excellent second week to make coaches think twice about moving him down yet another spot on the depth chart in favor of rookie startup Deneric Prince.
CB Lamar Jackson
Jackson is another fourth-year player who has been quiet at camp, and in a secondary as talented as Kansas City’s, timid performances in practice likely won’t cut it in his effort to make the Chiefs’ 53-man roster. He already faces an uphill battle to get consistent playing time in the preseason after Kansas City drafted Nic Jones back in April, so Jackson has no time to waste during the Chiefs’ second week in St. Joseph.
QB Shane Buechele
Buechele was presumed to be the heir apparent for the Chiefs’ second-string quarterback job after Chad Henne retired but now faces competition from University of Missouri legend Blaine Gabbert for the role. Backup signal-callers have proven to be extremely useful for head coach Andy Reid in years past, and have even won Kansas City games when Patrick Mahomes has had to exit matchups due to injury.
If Buechele intends to prove that he belongs as Mahomes’ understudy, he will need to out-compete Gabbert over the course of the next week as the Chiefs’ coaching staff assesses their options before the team’s first preseason exhibition game.
DE Joshua Kaindoh
A fourth-round pick by Kansas City in 2021, Kaindoh has only suited up for three games to this point in his career. That number is concerningly low, and if he doesn’t convince coaches to give him more playing time soon, his career with the Chiefs may come to an abrupt end. Kaindoh has all the physical tools needed to become an impact player, but without more flashes in practice, it will be hard for general manager Brett Veach to justify his spot on the team’s 53-man roster.
WR Cornell Powell
Powell is the second member of the Chiefs’ 2021 draft class on this list and, like Kaindoh, has only suited up in three games for Kansas City. On a roster that features so much young talent at the receiver position, Powell seems destined to be an odd man out on the Chiefs’ depth chart unless he puts together a series of outstanding workouts and preseason performances. Watch for him to practice and play with an extra edge as he attempts to show Kansas City’s coaching staff that he belongs on a Super Bowl-caliber roster.
DL Danny Shelton
Chris Jones’ holdout is putting extra pressure on the Chiefs’ defensive line in training camp, and perhaps no player has as excellent an opportunity to secure a roster spot in his absence as Danny Shelton. A former first-round pick, Shelton would’ve been a no-brainer to make Kansas City’s roster at one point in his career, but entering his ninth year as a pro, he needs to show that he still has enough juice to make it in the NFL.
OT Lucas Niang
Kansas City felt the need to select Wanya Morris in the 2023 NFL draft and sign bookend tackles Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith in free agency, which was a clear shot across the bow for Niang, who seemed to be positioned for a starting spot after the 2022 season. Originally a third-round pick in 2020, he opted out of his rookie season before starting nine games for the Chiefs in 2021.
Niang struggled to stay healthy last season, only dressing for seven games. He will need to prove himself in practice this week and during each of Kansas City’s preseason games to force his coaches’ hands into keeping him around as a depth option on the Chiefs’ offensive line.
DT Derrick Nnadi
Nnadi is a two-time Super Bowl champion with Kansas City and has started in 69 games for the Chiefs over the course of his career. But make no mistake, Nnadi is still waiting to break out entering his sixth season in the NFL. He has only tallied four sacks as a pro and will need to continue showing that he has what it takes to remain a starter in Kansas City’s defense, which has seen significant investments made in its front four over the course of the last two offseasons.
