Kansas City Chiefs 2025 training camp preview

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs' 2025 training camp runs from Tuesday to Aug. 13 at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph.

During the offseason, the Chiefs spent much of their resources trying to improve their offense. The unit wasn't as productive as usual in 2024. The Chiefs finished 17th in yards and 15th in points. In free agency, they attempted to plug a major hole by signing left tackle Jaylon Moore. In the draft, the Chiefs doubled their efforts, selecting Josh Simmons in the first round with the No. 32 pick. The Chiefs also welcomed back receivers Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown, both of whom were injured for much of last season.

Here's a closer look at what we are watching at camp:

Will big plays return to the offense?

The Chiefs were near the bottom of the league in both downfield passing attempts (12 tries of 20 or more yards beyond the line of scrimmage, the second-lowest total in the NFL) and big pass plays (42, the sixth lowest). In response, the Chiefs put a major emphasis on trying to improve that element of the offense during their offseason practices in May and June. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes often lacked the time necessary to let the downfield game develop. He was also sacked more than ever last season (36 times). With the additions of Simmons and Moore, the Chiefs are also hoping their collective receivers -- Rice, Brown, Xavier Worthy and rookie Jalen Royals -- stay healthy and can help the offense have more chemistry to create explosive highlights. Mahomes will need his teammates to do their part, too. Last season, he accounted for 72.5% of the offense's yards, the most of any quarterback in the league.

"It'll be great to have them out there," coach Andy Reid said Sunday of his top three receivers. "When they were together out there last year for camp, that was a positive for us."

Three players worth watching at training camp

QB Patrick Mahomes. He was under pressure more often than usual last season. But on occasion, he didn't trust his protection even when it held up and he bailed on a potential big play. Mahomes has to be more willing to throw the ball downfield, something he did well in his early seasons as a starter. With the potential of better protection this season, Mahomes could also experiment more in camp to see how creative he can be within and outside the pocket to better connect with his receivers.

OT Josh Simmons. He is returning from a torn patellar injury in October that prematurely ended his final season at Ohio State. The Chiefs are hopeful he can be the player who finally solves their long-standing problem at left tackle. But the Chiefs felt similarly last year about Kingsley Suamataia, who was a second-round rookie. Suamataia was benched in September because of poor play in pass protection. How quickly Simmons gets back to his top form -- and acclimates to the Chiefs' playbook and their playing style -- will be a major subplot of camp.

"You're going to look for the best you can start with to fill in that spot and have a little consistency there," Reid said of the left tackle position. "We didn't have that last year, so let's work at it and see what we can come up with.

"By the time you get out of this [camp], you'd like to have an idea of who that is. You want to have a fill on it."

S Jaden Hicks. During their dynasty, the Chiefs have relied on veteran safeties in Tyrann Mathieu and Justin Reid to anchor the secondary. But the Chiefs are now going with the largely untested but very talented Hicks, a fourth-round draft pick in 2024. Hicks appears to have the necessary skills, but he needs to develop sooner rather than later in order for the Chiefs to reach their full potential on defense. As a rookie, Hicks led the Chiefs with three interceptions despite playing just 31% of the defensive snaps.

Key position battles

Left tackle. The Chiefs signed Moore in free agency to be their starter, but he could lose the spot to Simmons if the rookie has an excellent camp and preseason. The Chiefs believed Simmons was one of the best available young tackles in the last several drafts. If he's healthy, he will be given every opportunity to win the starting role. Moore has previously spent his four years with the San Francisco 49ers as a backup behind Trent Williams. The Chiefs believe Moore has the potential to be a quality starter.

Left guard. After a position change late last season, Suamataia is the ideal candidate to win the job. Mike Caliendo, a part-time starter last season, is the other competitor. The Chiefs were encouraged by the way Suamataia performed at his new position during the regular season finale against the Denver Broncos. However, Suamataia has a lot of improvement to make after flaming out at left tackle.

One other storyline we're keeping eyes on: the pass rush

The Chiefs, after two seasons among the league leaders in sacks, dropped to 18th last season with 39. Star defensive lineman Chris Jones had just five sacks, his least productive season since his rookie year of 2016. Despite the lack of sacks, Jones still disrupted quarterbacks. He produced 26 quick quarterback pressures (under 2.5 seconds) last season, the most among all defensive tackles, according to Next Gen Stats. Those two statistics forced the Chiefs this offseason to see if they can find better production around Jones. The team turned to a pair of rookies, second-round tackle Omarr Norman-Lott and third-round end Ashton Gillotte, for help. In particular, Norman-Lott could play a considerable amount in passing situations.

53-man roster prediction

QB (2): Patrick Mahomes, Gardner Minshew

RB (4): Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, Elijah Mitchell, Brashard Smith

FB (1): Carson Steele

WR (6): Rashee Rice*, Xavier Worthy, Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Nikko Remigio, Jalen Royals, Tyquan Thornton

TE (3): Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, Jared Wiley

OL (10): Jaylon Moore, Kingsley Suamataia, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Jawaan Taylor, Josh Simmons, Mike Caliendo, Wanya Morris, Ethan Driskell, Hunter Nourzad

DL: (10): Chris Jones, George Karlaftis, Charles Omenihu, Mike Danna, Mike Pennel, Omarr Norman-Lott, Jerry Tillery, Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Ashton Gillotte, Janarius Robinson

LB (5): Nick Bolton, Drue Tranquill, Leo Chenal, Jack Cochrane, Jeffrey Bassa

CB (5): Trent McDuffie, Kristian Fulton, Jaylen Watson, Nohl Williams, Nazeeh Johnson

S (4): Bryan Cook, Mike Edwards, Jaden Hicks, Chamarri Conner

ST (3): K Harrison Butker, P Matt Araiza, LS James Winchester