The Kansas City Chiefs completed their first preseason matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, a 20-12 loss. It extends the team’s preseason losing streak.

Sure, it’s only an exhibition game. However, there are plenty of guys fighting for their football future, and it becomes clearer with each passing snap. How they perform in these games could be the difference between making the roster, landing on the practice squad, or playing elsewhere in 2026. Their play certainly weighs heavily into Brett Veach’s future decisions, with 53-man roster cuts coming on Aug. 31. That deadline arrives a lot more quickly than realized, only 16 days away.

With that being said, let’s break down the winners and losers from the Chiefs’ preseason opener against the Rams.

Winners

Emmett Johnson

Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson earns the winner label handily after his performance on Saturday. He finished with only 12 carries for 59 yards, a long gain of 13 yards, and three receptions on three targets for 10 yards. However, that doesn’t tell the full story.

Johnson had multiple positive gains nullified by penalty, including an 11-yard reception and a 4-yard touchdown run that would have marked his first career NFL touchdown. He’s showing craftiness as a runner, great hands as a receiver, and also had some good reps in pass protection. He’s generally showing all the things you want to see from a running back. He also ran behind the second- and third-team offensive line for the majority of this game, whereas Brashard Smith couldn’t gain a single yard running behind both the first-team and second-team offensive line.

It just felt like a big step forward for the rookie and a player who could have a long future in Kansas City. Will it be enough to vault him ahead of Smith for the No. 2 running back position? That remains to be seen.

Jaden Hicks

Jaden Hicks led the team with seven combined tackles. He was the only player with a tackle for loss and the only defensive back with a pass defended. That pass deflection was aided by pressure from rookie edge rusher R. Mason Thomas. It felt like Hicks was all over the field making plays all night long.

That level of consistency is something Chiefs fans hadn’t seen from him to this point. This is the kind of performance Hicks needed after a 2025 NFL season that saw him take a step back following a strong, promising rookie campaign with Kansas City. He was out there leading and playing the right way.

Garrett Nussmeier

Rookie quarterback Garrett Nussmeier had a strong performance in the second quarter, leading the team on what would be two scoring drives. Both could have been touchdown drives, but penalties got in the way. He stayed poised and made strong decisions while protecting the football despite the penalties. The only time he took a sack was when a Rams player jumped offsides. He finished the game as the team’s leading passer.

There were a few more incomplete passes compared to Justin Fields, who didn’t throw an incomplete pass. For a rookie to show that amount of poise, ability, and arm talent, though, it was impressive. One play that stood out in particular: Nussmeier was flushed to his left and pulled off a Mahomesian throwback to wide receiver Nikko Remigio across the middle of the field for a 17-yard gain.

I wouldn’t necessarily say he had a better game than Fields. I think they’re both probably on equal footing. It’s good to know, though, that the Chiefs have a pair of quarterbacks behind Patrick Mahomes who look promising in their ability to execute the offense at a high level.

R Mason Thomas

R Mason Thomas was perhaps the biggest winner of preseason Week 1. He looked like a dynamic pass rusher, but it wasn’t just about the pass rush. He also had some really nice plays as a run defender. That’s a big deal for Steve Spagnuolo’s system, as you’ve got to be able to set the edge and hold up in the run game as an edge rusher.

Thomas had a notable pressure that helped hold the Rams to a field goal in the first half, and Hicks had the pass deflection on that play. Then, to end the first half, he pressured Rams quarterback Ty Simpson near-immediately on the final play, not giving Los Angeles a chance at a Hail Mary. Later, he got his hand up for a pass deflection at the line of scrimmage.

This is the type of progress Kansas City needed to see from a rookie like Thomas. The Chiefs are desperate for edge-rush help, and he looks like someone who can contribute right away.

Andrew Armstrong

Andrew Armstrong is a name Chiefs fans may not know yet, but they’ll want to. He is a strong run and pass blocker. He had a play where he planted a Rams defensive back into the ground around the 50-yard line. That’s the type of play Kansas City doesn’t get enough of out of their receivers, and coach Andy Reid loves receivers who work in the blocking game and can help clear the runway for a player like Kenneth Walker or Johnson.

Armstrong also had a 17-yard reception that included some run after the catch with Fields as the quarterback. The Chiefs will have to decide how they want their wide receiver room to play out, but if Armstrong makes it over some other players, it wouldn’t be a crazy surprise. You have to decide whether or not you value what Armstrong brings as a special teams player, as a blocker, and as a pass catcher.

Cyrus Allen

Rookie WR Cyrus Allen’s first catch of the day was nullified by a penalty, and his second target didn’t go as planned. He was waiting until deep into the second quarter and the second half to get going. Allen had a 7-yard reception followed by a 13-yard reception. On one catch, he had to climb the ladder to get the football. It probably saved Nussmeier from either a very embarrassing long incompletion or a turnover.

It wasn’t the explosive type of game you might expect from a player with the amount of hype Allen had coming into it. I do feel, however, this was a strong first performance for the rookie wide receiver. The one thing to note is that he played into the third quarter. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it shows the coaching staff still views him as someone who needs to play the game to get better. They’re not trying to protect him or keep him out of harm’s way like they would some of their starters. That doesn’t mean Allen won’t eventually become a starter for Kansas City.

Losers

Jalen Royals

It felt like Royals needed to make a strong first impression. I say first impression because last season can basically be closed as a chapter after injury prevented him from contributing. The first impression in this game, however, wasn’t exactly strong. He had the first penalty of the game, an offensive pass interference call that set the team back and killed what was a promising start to a drive for Fields and the offense.

Royals did come back later and had a tough catch where he fought through contact from two defenders and held on to the ball, but I don’t think that was enough to make a strong case for a roster spot. Royals is probably closer to being on the bubble than not in just his second year with the team. When you have a player like Armstrong doing all the right things and not getting called for penalties, it makes you wonder.

Emari Demercado

Running back Emari Demercado signed with Kansas City in free agency this offseason. He’s an explosive player at the running back position with the second-most experience on the roster behind Walker. He’s listed as the second running back on the team’s unofficial depth chart, but he did not see many snaps on offense in this game. It was a lot of Johnson and Smith in the backfield during the second and third quarters. Demercado appeared to get into the game on special teams in the third quarter but didn’t see opportunities at running back until the fourth quarter.

With a highly competitive running back group, that might tell you a lot about Demercado’s future with the team. His contract didn’t necessarily suggest he was a shoo-in to stick on the roster, but he could be purely viewed as depth or trade bait right now.

Kristian Fulton

I suspected this would be the case, but Chiefs cornerback Kristian Fulton was not one of the two starting outside cornerbacks for the team this week. Without L’Jarius Sneed and Mansoor Delane, Kansas City had Nohl Williams out there as cornerback No. 1 and Melvin Smith Jr. opposite him. It was Smith who came into the game first, played with the starters, and had a decent showing. He seemed to hold up in the passing game and was willing to come up and make tackles, finishing with two combined tackles on defense and a special teams tackle.

That’s an important development for a player like Smith and his ability to make the roster, but it also suggests Fulton may be the fifth or sixth guy on the depth chart. He’s not someone who profiles as a big contributor on special teams, either. It’s something to consider, especially when you factor in that the Chiefs can cut or trade Fulton and get some salary cap space back for the season or future roster moves.