What’s happening in Chiefs Kingdom?
This week has been all about the NFL Scouting Combine. Today we highlight several interviews from our own Ed Easton Jr., who is on the ground in Indianapolis to chat with the incoming NFL draft prospects.
Let’s look at the most recent and relevant Chiefs stories for the morning of March 3.
Latest in Chiefs news
Interviews from Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr.
- Ed spoke with Missouri defensive end Isaiah McGuire who noted that he would love to join Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton in Kansas City: “That’s about two hours towards the left for me,” McGuire said. “That’d be an honor, [playing] out there.”
- In an interview with Daiyan Henley, the Washington State linebacker admitted he’s “a little jealous” of Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson, his former teammate: “That’s a blessing to come from this stage just last year to being in the Super Bowl,” said Henley. “A lot of guys don’t even get that opportunity … and he goes to the Super Bowl in [his first year].”
- Purdue linebacker Jalen Graham told Ed that he’s proud of his former teammate, Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis: “I was rooting for the Chiefs to win [the Super Bowl],” Graham said. “It was just great to see him out there to compete and actually make an impact on the game.”
- Rutgers punter Adam Korsak also talked up one of his former teammates, telling Ed that he’s excited by the success of Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco: “He is such a tremendous person,” said Korsak. “We enrolled together in January 2018. And seeing him progress as a player and as a person off the field was great.”
- In case you missed it, Ed also spoke with Wisconsin defensive tackle Keeanu Benton and Rice defensive end Ikenna Enechukwu. More interviews are on the way.
More Chiefs news
- The Chiefs met with several defensive line and linebacker prospects at the combine, as well as defensive back and special teams prospects. We’re trying to track as many as possible. The Chiefs will end up meeting with a ton of prospects so it’s not necessary to read too much into a single meeting, but keeping an eye on which prospects can give us an idea of the types of players K.C. could be looking for.
- Our John Dillon suggested that the Chiefs should look into bringing in Marcus Mariota to be the team’s backup quarterback.
- Information from a survey sent out by the NFLPA was released Wednesday, asking NFL players which areas their team excels in and what areas they could improve. The Chiefs’ training staff was rated poorly, with VP of Sports Medicine and Performance Rick Burkholder receiving negative opinions.
- NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” released a promo for its episode on March 4 which will be hosted by Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
- The Chiefs promoted assistant quarterbacks coach and passing game analyst David Girardi to quarterbacks coach.
Around the AFC West
Denver Broncos news
- The Broncos would like to re-sign defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones, and talks have been “very positive,” but ultimately Jones is expected to hit the free agent market and test the waters. Spotrac projects the market value for Jones to be around four years, $68.5 million.
Las Vegas Raiders news
- The Raiders hired former Ravens outside linebackers coach Rob Leonard to be their new defensive line coach. Leonard has coached in the NFL for 10 years.
- In case you missed it, the Raiders are apparently not interested in acquiring Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Los Angeles Chargers news
- Chargers general manger Tom Telesco noted that there are no plans to trade receiver Keenan Allen. “Keenan Allen isn’t going anywhere,” Telesco said at the combine. Allen is due to earn $21.7 million in 2023, and releasing/trading Allen would save the team $14-16 million.
Around the NFL
- The Jacksonville Jaguars plan to release or trade cornerback Shaquill Griffin, and also plan to place the franchise tag on tight end Evan Engram. The tag will allow Engram to earn a little over $11 million in 2023.
- Four NFL officials are hanging up their striped shirts: referee Jerome Boger, down judge Jerry Bergman, line judge Walt Coleman and back judge Steven Patrick are retiring. Boger is the most notable name — he has been an NFL official for 19 years.
- Ravens receiver Rashod Bateman called out the team and general manager Eric DeCosta in a deleted tweet: “how bout you play to your player’s strength and & stop pointing the finger at us [receivers] and #8 [quarterback Lamar Jackson].”
