Kansas City Chiefs preseason football has finally arrived.

The Chiefs open their preseason slate against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday. While these exhibition games aren’t the end-all, be-all for evaluating what this team can be during the 2026 NFL season, they remain a critical tool for assessing players and their standing on the roster.

What exactly matters during the preseason, and what should fans watch for during Kansas City’s opener against Los Angeles? Here’s a look at the most important things to watch for on Saturday afternoon.

Will the Kansas City Chiefs play any starters?

Chiefs coach Andy Reid has already made it clear that quarterback Patrick Mahomes will not play in preseason Week 1. He wasn’t as committal when it comes to Weeks 2 and 3. Mahomes has said he will prepare as if he were playing. However, it’s clear the team feels the juice isn’t worth the squeeze of putting Mahomes in harm’s way as he comes back from a season-ending knee injury in 2025. If Mahomes weren’t looking as sharp as he has in training camp practices, I’m not sure Reid would be more adamant about putting him out there.

The big question beyond Mahomes is which other starters will sit on Saturday. Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones indicated he did not know whether he would play. He said he hoped he wouldn’t because he wanted to face the Rams’ starters, and he knows those players won’t be on the field. The game plan will be vanilla regardless, especially with these two teams meeting again later in the regular season.

It’s also reasonable that Kansas City would want to protect some of its starting players. Several are already out of practice due to bumps and bruises, though nothing significant has been reported. Linebacker Drew Tranquill has a back injury. Linebacker Nick Bolton was dealing with an illness late in the week. Wide receiver Xavier Worthy is dealing with a shoulder injury. Cornerbacks Mansour Delane and L’Jarius Sneed, both projected starters, are working through their own respective injuries. At this point, it makes sense to use the starters sparingly. A few may get work early in the game, but I wouldn’t expect them to play longer than a series.

Do Kansas City Chiefs rookies Cyrus Allen, Kahlil Benson, and Peter Woods get the ‘starter’ treatment?

Three rookies have consistently been in the starting lineup at training camp: wide receiver Cyrus Allen, offensive lineman Khalil Benson, and defensive tackle Peter Woods. The big question is whether they will get the starter treatment on Saturday.

If Allen comes in and plays only a handful of offensive snaps and maybe one special teams return snap, that would be a pretty substantial sign the team views him as a starter. The same goes for Benson. If he gets work with the starting offensive line for maybe a series, that could reveal how Kansas City envisions the undrafted rookie. Woods, a first-round draft pick, has been one of the biggest standouts of training camp. How many snaps he gets before being pulled is something fans should definitely watch for.

Allen has already shown a lot of what you want to see from a rookie wide receiver: the ability to separate in coverage through slick route running, coming back to the football, and finding open space when plays break down. It’s one of the reasons fans are so excited about him coming out of camp. Benson’s teammates are enamored by his strength and his versatility at both offensive tackle and on the interior. As for Woods, the question is whether he can contribute to the pass rush and help reignite what was a problem area for the Chiefs a season ago.

With Mansoor Delane & L’Jarius Sneed unlikely to play, who gets work at cornerback?

The Chiefs released their first unofficial depth chart earlier this week, but it doesn’t necessarily reflect what we’ve seen at training camp. With Sneed and Delane unlikely to play Saturday, Nohl Williams, Kristian Fulton, and rookie Jadon Canady could likely be the next men up. However, safety Chris Roland-Wallace has seen time at slot corner, and Melvin Smith has played outside cornerback as injuries have mounted.

Kader Kohou was playing behind Roland-Wallace in the slot early in camp but has since fallen to the third team. Players like Kevin Knowles and D’Arco Perkins-McAllister are intriguing depth options. Knowles was a solid special teams contributor last season. Then there’s Kaiir Elam, a veteran former first-round pick fighting for a roster spot, along with undrafted free agent Zelmar Vedder. How these snaps shake out could tell us a lot about which players are likely to make the 53-man roster.

How does the second-team pass rush look for the Kansas City Chiefs?

I’d wager it’s unlikely we see starters George Karlaftis and Ashton Gillotte on the field. Gillotte is still dealing with the remnants of an injury, and Karlaftis is simply too important for the team to risk on preseason snaps. That means we could see a lot of former first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah and rookie edge rusher R Mason Thomas.

Those two players will be critical to Kansas City’s pass rush this season as rotational pieces. Can they generate pressure against the Rams’ offensive line? Don’t expect much in the way of blitzing or creativity, but lots of four-man rushes. Anudike-Uzomah has struggled to make a strong impact thus far due to circumstance and injury.

Thomas is somewhat of a mystery because he’s not the prototypical edge rusher candidate in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense. Can he do the little things like setting the edge and playing the run that will help him see the field early and often? And can he get after the quarterback with that quick first step that has been flashing throughout training camp? Those will be important things to watch along the defensive line.

How do the Kansas City Chiefs running back and tight end repetitions stack up?

The Chiefs are unlikely to play running back Kenneth Walker during preseason Week 1, so it will be fascinating to see which of the three backs behind him carries the load. Will it be free agent signing Emari Demercado, an explosive veteran who doubles as one of the team’s best pass protectors? Will it be fifth-round draft pick Emmett Johnson, who profiles as a bell cow similar to Walker? Or will it be second-year back Brashard Smith, who has quietly had a strong training camp, has flexed out wide as a receiver at times, and brings special teams return ability? Demercado is listed as the No. 2 running back on the team’s first unofficial depth chart, but the competition behind Walker remains wide open.

At tight end, Travis Kelce and Noah Gray are locked in as the top two options, but the picture behind them is worth monitoring. Jared Wiley dealt with a hamstring injury earlier in the week but returned to practice Thursday. Jake Briningstool has had a strong camp and has been one of the few tight ends besides Kelce, Gray, and Wiley to earn first-team repetitions. Tre Watson has quietly put together a strong offseason and could be in line to compete with both Briningstool and Wiley for a roster spot. Finally, there’s Mason Pline, a bit of a wild card whose size is intriguing enough to wonder if the team can develop something there.

Justin Fields vs. Garrett Nussmeier for QB2

Justin Fields is likely to draw the start in place of Mahomes. As a veteran, he has the clearest path to earning the backup job in Kansas City. However, how he plays during these games will have the largest impact on whether he can hold off rookie Garrett Nussmeier.

Fields is a different type of player, with the athletic ability to scramble and create with his legs, whereas Nussmeier is more of a pocket passer. Both players finished the last week of training camp strong. For Nussmeier, fans should be watching his command and control of the offense in the huddle. Can he make the right reads while protecting the football?

The same goes for Fields, specifically when it comes to ball security and decision-making. He had a few instances in camp where he stared down receivers, sometimes leading to interceptions and pass breakups. How comfortable and familiar is Fields with the system under Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy after having played for Matt Nagy previously in his career? What you don’t want to see is Fields tucking and running too often.

Special teams repetitions matter the most for fringe players

Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub said his first-team special teamers will be out there, at least among those who are healthy, and they will be the first players in the lineup for special teams units. That will be important to track.

Keep an eye on which players are playing the gunner positions and which are on the kick and punt coverage units. Look at the linemen who line up for field goal and extra point units, because those roles could determine backup spots and whether certain players are fit for them. A player like Pete Nygra, a second-team offensive lineman who has risen up the depth chart as an undrafted free agent, would be telling if he were in one of the first-team field goal or point-after-try units.

The same goes for the kick and punt block units. Who is lining up to try and block kicks? That’s a role where Kansas City has seen a lot of success in the past with players like Justin Reid and Leo Chenal, but both are no longer with the team. The Chiefs need someone with the speed and athleticism to stand out, get their hands up, and make a block.