The Kansas City Chiefs will report to St. Joseph, Missouri, for their 2025 NFL training camp in less than a week.

I've been answering Chiefs Kingdom's burning questions in a mailbag every week leading up to camp. So far, we've covered topics ranging from Trey Smith's contract extension, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Skyy Moore, as well as rookies like Josh Simmons, Brashard Smith, and Omarr Norman-Lott.

This week, I'll answer questions about Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis, a potential surprise storyline emerging from training camp, a new training camp darling in the wake of Justyn Ross' departure, the RB room, Jaden Hicks, and more.

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Kansas City Chiefs Offseason Mailbag – Week of July 14th, 2025

If the Chiefs were to keep only 1 of McDuffie and Karlaftis, given the salary cap and team history of keeping/investing in certain positions, who would be the most likely player staying with the club? – CitadelChief

I believe that the Chiefs will be able to keep both Karlaftis and McDuffie long-term, but the answer here would be Karlaftis, purely based on the historical aspect. The Chiefs have generally viewed cornerback as a low-investment/replaceable position over the last several years. There's also proven success in finding affordable replacements through the NFL Draft, undrafted free agency, trades, and free agency. When Steven Nelson and Kendall Fuller left, they were replaced by Bashaud Breeland, and the team traded for Charvarius Ward. A year before Breeland walked, they drafted L'Jarius Sneed. When Ward walked, they drafted Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, and Josh Williams.   

Given that it's generally easier to find above-average cornerback play than it is to find above-average edge rusher play, I think keeping Karlaftis becomes that much more of a priority. I also just think the way he plays the game fits exactly what Steve Spagnuolo likes from the edge rusher position. A guy who sets the edge, plays with a high motor, and is disruptive in the running game and passing game. Then consider the fact that Karlaftis already has a mentor-mentee relationship with Ashton Gillotte, a player Kansas City has under team control for the next four seasons.

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What might be a surprising storyline coming out of Chiefs camp? – Ed Helinski

The conversation so far has been between Kingsley Suamataia and Mike Caliendo, the two players who are actively competing for the left guard spot. I think there will probably be more names in the equation, including two more of the Chiefs' 2024 NFL Draft picks: Hunter Nourzad and C.J. Hansen. 

Nourzad started at center and Hansen started at right guard in Week 18 against the Denver Broncos last season. Nourzad played 31 snaps and allowed no pressures or penalties. Hansen's performance wasn't as flawless, but he was also making the jump from Holy Cross to the NFL last season. That game can either be an indicator that he doesn't have what it takes, or he can turn it into the motivation he needs to improve. With another year in an NFL strength and conditioning program, I wouldn't be shocked if either Nourzad or Hansen emerged as legitimate competition for the starting left guard spot.

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With Justyn Ross being waived, who will be Chiefs Kingdom training camp darling who winds up on the practice squad this year? – Kyle Henning

I genuinely think that Nikko Remigio took a bit of that shine from Justyn Ross during training camp last year, and frankly, took it one step further by actually playing meaningful and impactful snaps for Kansas City last year. If it's not Remigio again this year, I've narrowed the list down to four players: Tyquan Thornton, Elijhah Badger, Jake Briningstool, and Robert Tonyan.

Any of those four players legitimately have a path to earn the training camp darling moniker and land on the practice squad. I could even see a path to the 53-man roster for a couple of them. Thornton already has the quarterback's and Dave Toub's stamp of approval. Tonyan is a seasoned veteran looking to revive his career in Kansas City. Badger and Briningstool are both promising young rookies who could each have opportunities to flash on offense and special teams. If I had to make a bet, I'd go with Briningstool being the guy. His game bears some similarities to that of a young Travis Kelce. 

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What should we look for in camp from the RB to get a sense of who’ll be most fantasy relevant this year? Do you see Smith having a real shot to be RB2? – Jeremy – r/fantasyfootball mod

I touched on these topics briefly in Chiefs offseason mailbags No. 1 and No. 2, but the training camp element of the question is new. I still believe the RB1 job is Isiah Pacheco's to lose, and he'd have to really underperform to lose it. 

The big thing the Chiefs currently lack at the running back position is a clear consensus pass protector. Pacheco and Kareem Hunt can do it, but I'd also say their skill sets are best utilized elsewhere. Guys like Elijah Mitchell and Brashard Smith can carve out a role for themselves fast if either one of them can pass protect. Don't sleep on that being a guy like Carson Steele's path to the 53-man roster either.

RB2 would probably be a stretch for Smith at this juncture, but I could see it if the Chiefs suffer some injuries. He's undoubtedly going to have a role on offense, but I previously likened it more to a change-of-pace back/gadget player for Andy Reid. His background as a receiver will lead to increased usage in the passing game. Think wheel routes, Texas routes, screen passes, shovel passes, orbit motion, and basically any other receiving quirk out of the backfield.

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Do we feel that Jaden Hicks will be able to provide the same versatility that Justin Reid has been able to give the team the past few years? – BurritoShark

It's not unreasonable to think that Hicks could provide the same level of or more versatility compared to Justin Reid, at least on the defensive side of the ball. I'm not sure he'll be blocking kicks or kicking field goals right away, but I think he's got some untapped man coverage skills that could come in handy when erasing some of these talent tight ends in the AFC West (Brock Bowers, Evan Engram, etc). Our friends Ryan Roberts and Joe DeLeone at the A to Z Sports Film Room recently created a video on this topic. 

P.s. I love the screen name. 

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Do you anticipate the offense stepping up enough for the (in my opinion) drop in defensive efficiency with this current roster? Are we injury-proof for Hollywood's eventual missed game(s) – or suspension-proof for Rashee? – ‪1st2fi

That first question comes down to the offensive line, in my opinion. If the Chiefs figure out left tackle, be it Josh Simmons or Jaylon Moore, they'll be miles ahead of where they were on offense last season. I'm sold that they've invested enough to be better at left tackle in 2025, but I feel like they can still improve at left guard. They're rightfully going to give Kingsley Suamataia every opportunity to prove himself. Still, I'd feel more comfortable if an option that'd started more than a handful of NFL games were part of that competition. 

Update: It turns out they'll have to be prepared for a Rashee Rice suspension. Rice struck a plea agreement on Thursday and can now be suspended by the NFL as a result. I think between JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jalen Royals, if Rice has to miss time, they'll be alright. The same goes for Hollywood Brown. This wide receiver room is as deep as it has ever been during the Patrick Mahomes era. I don't think they'll even need to bring in another player to compete, but I wouldn't mind if they made an offer to someone like Gabe Davis.