The Kansas City Chiefs are a week into their offseason break ahead of training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri.

To effectively pass the time, I'll do a mailbag every week leading up to training camp to answer some Chiefs Kingdom's burning questions. If you follow me on X (formerly Twitter) and BlueSky, be on the lookout for weekly posts where you can submit questions. For those who don't follow me on social media, you can submit questions here.

This week, we're covering questions on Skyy Moore's value, how the Chiefs round out the bottom of the wide receiver room, who the opening week RB1 is, and whether Trey Smith will sign a long-term deal.

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Kansas City Chiefs Offseason Mailbag – Week of July 4th, 2025

Why is Skyy Moore still on the roster? He's been struggling for the past 2 seasons, hasn't been used much and doesn't seem to make any positive note-worthy contributions to the team. – sasha tortured poet

The simple answer is that rookie contracts in the NFL are very affordable compared to other NFL contracts. If he makes the 53-man roster in 2025, he will rank 25th in salary cap hit. There's very little reason to move on from Day 1 or Day 2 drafted players on their rookie deal, especially at this juncture of the offseason, unless they're headaches off the field and adding nothing of value to your club. You're not going to get much in terms of salary cap reprieve versus what you'll get from having them on your team. 

Moore adds some value in several ways. The offensive coaching staff loves him because he knows all three wide receiver positions (X, Z, and Zebra) inside and out. He's going to be in the right place at the right time, run the right routes, and all of that jazz. He might not be the fastest or create the most separation, but they know he'll be where he needs to be at a given time. That's no small feat either, ask Justyn Ross. Moore also has value on special teams as a kick and punt return specialist, which will be downplayed, but it's essential.

All of that said, I don't think Moore makes the 53-man roster in 2025 because the competition at wide receiver is at a different level compared to years past. It'd take an epic training camp, preseason, and some unlucky injuries for him to make it as things currently stand. I do think he deserves a fair shot to prove himself, given that injury hampered his past two seasons.

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How do the Chiefs round out the bottom of the WR room after Rice, Brown, Worthy, Royals, Smith-Schuster? Does Moore get traded? Does Thornton make the roster? – Andrew Puthumana

Andrew, you're right on the money with Rice, Brown, Worthy, Royals, and Smith-Schuster being the locks in the wide receiver room. I tend to believe that there will be six receivers kept on the 53-man roster, and it will be the one who can do the most who gets kept out of the remaining players. 

Nikko Remigio and Skyy Moore probably have the leg up on the competition heading into camp, having already spent time on the 53-man roster in the past, but I'm not sure they're the most versatile players of the bunch. I tend to feel that Tyquan Thornton might fill that role by the end of camp, given what he offers on offense and special teams. He'll need to prove it during training camp and the preseason, which is something that Patriots fans often remind me he failed to do previously. I'm also not ready to rule out guys like Jason Brownlee or Elijhah Badger yet, either. There's still a lot of competition to be played out.

As for the Moore trade question, I don't see many teams lining up to surrender assets for a player who doesn't even have 500 career receiving yards. Maybe they luck into a situation where they can get a player-for-player swap with someone else who needs a change of scenery. 

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Who is RB1 on opening day? Do you think Trey Smith signs a long term deal or plays under tag? – Avik Khan

I'd be shocked to see anyone but Isiah Pacheco as the team's opening day starter at running back, short of an injury situation. He's going to be given every opportunity to cement himself as "the guy" because he's been "the guy" most recently. As the great Terez Paylor would say, the contract year is undefeated. The Chiefs know that Kareem Hunt is capable of being an every-down starter, but I think they will be more intentional with his usage and role in 2025, should Pop stay healthy. Brashard Smith will certainly contribute, but I think it'd be an aberration for him to earn anything close to a starting role out of training camp. Elijah Mitchell and Carson Steele are the big question marks in the RB room for me. They could just as easily be involved with prominent roles on offense as they could be cut. 

As for your second question, deadlines spur action in the NFL, and I tend to think a deal will be done between the Chiefs and Trey Smith as we approach the July 15 deadline for long-term extensions for players on the franchise tag. As I wrote a week ago, it'd be a significant risk for Smith to go into the 2025 NFL season absent a long-term deal. Sure, the Chiefs could franchise tag him again in 2026 and pay him over $50M for the next two seasons. That's provided he stays healthy, which isn't a guarantee. I'm not sure I'd make that gamble if I were him. 

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Is there any hope that a team can make a last minute Treyde (Trey Smith trade) and deal? – ZachLaymansNFL

I'd be shocked if the Chiefs went this route, and for two reasons. First, they have far too much uncertainty on the offensive line right now at left tackle and left guard to stomach any more instability across the offensive line. I think they'd rather pay him the tag amount and kick that problem down the road another year if they can't agree to a long-term deal.

The next issue is that I'm not sure you could find a trade partner at this juncture. It's one thing if we were talking about when the tag was placed on Smith before free agency began, and teams had funds to allocate. It's an entirely different lift for a squad to do that before the July 15 extension deadline. The cost, both from a financial and trade asset perspective, feels too much.

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Bonus: Is a Hot Dog a taco or a sandwich? – Chandler via ZachLaymansNFL

I think the answer to this question depends on the ground beneath your feet. If you're in the United States, for instance, a Hot Dog is very widely regarded as a sandwich by those who aren't trying to be purposefully obtuse. Some will tell you to look at the bread, the split roll argument. To me, the toppings are more closely related to a sandwich or a burger than they are to a taco, even with the various styles, such as the Chicago Dog or the Chili Dog. 

That said, if you're in Latin America or Southeast Asia, Hot Dogs are almost entirely different foodstuffs. In Thailand, for instance, Hot Dogs aren't frequently eaten on a bun but wrapped in a fluffy dessert crepe with a sweet and spicy chili sauce. That was most definitely not a sandwich, but was referred to by locals as a Hot Dog. 

Brashard Smith’s role in the RB room, Trey Smith radio silence, and more in latest Kansas City Chiefs offseason mailbag

The first iteration of our weekly offseason Kansas City Chiefs mailbag answers questions about Brashard Smith, Travis Kelce, Trey Smith, and more.