Kansas City Chiefs OTAs Preview: Right tackle roster battle and 5 more key offensive questions that need answers as practice begins
Taking a look at six burning questions for the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense as OTAs begin on Tuesday, May 26. That list includes their right tackle battle, questions at wide receiver with Rashee Rice behind bars, Patrick Mahomes’ status, and more.
The Kansas City Chiefs officially kick off OTAs on Tuesday, May 26, giving fans their first look at the 2026 90-man offseason roster as a whole.
This is where the Chiefs will begin laying the foundation for the 2026 NFL season, but there’s still a long way to go before we’re talking about real football. These practices are what Andy Reid considers passing camps, as the pads have yet to come on and contact is still disallowed. The most important work may actually happen behind closed doors as the new players get accustomed to the system and scheme in Kansas City.
What are the Kansas City Chiefs allowed to do during OTAs?
On-field workouts with individual and group components are permitted during Organized Team Activities (OTAs), including walkthroughs. Live contact is not permitted during these particular workouts. 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 team drills are allowed during OTAs. However, players are not allowed to wear pads outside of protective knee pads, elbow pads, and helmets.
- Organized Team Activities Group 1: May 26-28
- Organized Team Activities Group 2: June 1-3
- Mandatory Minicamp: June 9-11
All that said, this first glimpse will begin to answer some of the burning questions fans have about this team and roster. Here’s a look at some of those, along with my initial thoughts on each.
Who will be the Chiefs’ starting right tackle in 2026?
Jaylon Moore is naturally penciled in as the starter at right tackle after Jawaan Taylor’s departure. Most of that has to do with the fact that he has the fifth-highest salary cap hit on the team behind Patrick Mahomes, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, and Nick Bolton. Could the Chiefs possibly have a competition at the right tackle spot, though?
Esa Pole mostly played the left tackle position for Kansas City in 2025 due to injury, but I think he could give Moore a run for his money. Moore struggled in his snaps at right tackle last season after playing the majority of his NFL snaps at left tackle to that point in his career. Could he adjust this offseason and play better on the right side in 2026, or is he better-suited for a swing tackle role again? Those are questions that I think we’ll soon begin to see some answers for.
Who steps up with Chiefs WR Rashee Rice behind bars?
Rashee Rice is in trouble again and won’t be participating in OTAs or mandatory minicamp as a result. He probably wouldn’t be participating either way because of a recent knee surgery. Overall, the Chiefs need a contingency plan for Rice due to the continued off-field and injury-related unreliability.
Jalen Royals is a player who many believed would fulfill that role for Rice in 2025, when he was suspended for six games to start the season. That wasn’t realized because Royals had his own injury issues to overcome. Is he healthy and ready to contribute under new WRs coach Chad O’Shea in 2026? Will it be another player, like fifth-round pick Cyrus Allen or his UDFA college teammate Jeff Caldwell, to step up in place of Rice? We’ll soon see who gets the opportunities for Kansas City.
Will Patrick Mahomes participate, or is it all Justin Fields vs. Garrett Nussmeier?
I tend to believe that Patrick Mahomes will push to participate in OTAs to some degree, but I wonder if the Chiefs won’t aim to protect him from himself a bit. Brett Veach has said Mahomes is ahead of schedule but that there is a need to hold him back for his own good. Perhaps the compromise will be for him to wait until the mandatory minicamp to return to the field in a meaningful capacity.
If Mahomes isn’t able to participate for this portion of the offseason program, I fully expect nearly split repetitions between Justin Fields and Garrett Nussmeier. The Chiefs already know what they have in Chris Oladokun, but they need to figure out what Fields and Nussmeier can provide them. Fields more so in the interim, and Nussmeier more so with a long-term outlook.
Who is IOL No. 4 for the Chiefs in 2026?
Mike Caliendo has been the first man off the bench on the interior offensive line for Kansas City since the team let Nick Allegretti walk in free agency. Caliendo is back for another year with the team, but it feels like it’s time for there to be some real competition for Caliendo’s spot.
Hunter Nourzad and C.J. Hansen are entering their third year and should realistically be climbing the depth chart. One player I’m looking at is UDFA OG Josh Thompson, who hasn’t allowed a sack in two seasons, one year at Northwestern and last year in the SEC at LSU. Overall, the competition here should be better than it has been in the last few seasons.
Is the tight end of the future on the Chiefs’ 90-man offseason roster?
The Chiefs didn’t do much at the tight end position this offseason. They re-signed future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce and added local product John Michael Gyllenborg in undrafted free agency. I think the big question that people want to know is whether or not the future of the tight end position is currently on the 90-man offseason roster.
Jared Wiley is entering Year 3 and is one year further removed from his ACL injury. Can the former fourth-round pick step up for Kansas City in 2026? Jake Briningstool was earning first-team repetitions with the offense last offseason before an injury landed him what amounted to a redshirt year. Could he be someone who steps up and secures a role? Tre Watson spent the entire 2025 NFL season on the Chiefs’ practice squad, so that should theoretically give him a leg up on the competition.
Kenneth Walker is RB1 for the Chiefs, but how does it stack up after him?
After handing him a 3-year contract worth over $43 million, it’s apparent that Kenneth Walker will be the No. 1 running back on the depth chart for the Chiefs. Beyond that, I think there’s a lot of opportunity left to be earned in the running back room for Kansas City.
Brashard Smith is the lone holdover from the 2025 NFL season, but I am not sure that gives him much of an advantage. His biggest challenge is reshaping his body from that of a receiver to a running back. Emmett Johnson feels like he has an inside track to the No. 2 running back job. Yet, Emari Demercado has the NFL experience under his belt. It’s also hard to rule out a UDFA who has played for DeMarco Murray in Jadyn Ott and the son of a Pro Football Hall of Famer in E.J. Smith.