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Andy Reid needs Patrick Mahomes throwing it deep this 12 months | NBC Sports activities
That was the phrase from quarterback Patrick Mahomes because the staff wrapped up their offseason program on Thursday. The staff signed Hollywood Brown and drafted Xavier Worthy with a first-round decide, so it’s not an enormous shock that Mahomes stated {that a} staple of the staff’s practices this spring has been head coach Andy Reid prodding him to throw the ball deep.
“If I don’t, he throws little jabs at me like, ‘Oh, you need to throw the checkdown right here?’’’ Mahomes stated, by way of Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. “I’m like, ‘I acquired you, Coach; we’re going to push it.’ It has been enjoyable.’’
Mahomes posted the yards per try and yards per catch of his beginning profession because the Chiefs labored to search out constant receivers past tight finish Travis Kelce. It’s a secure guess that this season will see larger numbers if all goes in keeping with plan.
Rating The High 10 NFL Rosters Getting into 2024 Season | The thirty third Crew
4. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
After all, Mahomes and Travis Kelce get many of the flowers, and anybody who has watched the NFL over the last 5 years ought to understand how a lot of a wrecking ball Chris Jones is. The remainder of the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs’ roster can be fairly good, and most of their key expertise is again from their repeat Tremendous Bowl victory.
The Chiefs might be proper again within the Tremendous Bowl combine this season.
Giving Mahomes two new receivers in Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown will assist the passing recreation, however so will second-round OT Kingsley Suamataia. Neither beginning sort out in 2023 was efficient, and the staff’s struggles to depend on a receiver not named Kelce or Rashee Rice is well-documented. It’s dangerous information for the league that Mahomes has extra explosiveness round him.
The Chiefs’ protection has completed greater than its share of heavy lifting as they overcame an offense that slogged at instances. Each starter is not less than strong, however the lack of L’Jarius Sneed does current a difficult gap at cornerback. The younger core of George Karlaftis, Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Leo Chenal, and a number of other corners vying for enjoying time might want to emerge as extra impactful presences.
Chiefs present motivation for 3-peat in aggressive minicamp: ‘We’ve acquired the staff to do it’ | The Athletic
Jones agreed: “We’ve acquired to get three.”
Then Mahomes acknowledged the historic statistic the Chiefs will try to vary of their 2024 season because the league’s reigning back-to-back champion.
“No (staff) has ever acquired three (championships),” Mahomes stated. “I need back-to-back-to-back.”
The Chiefs haven’t been shy about their aspirations to do what many analysts consider is subsequent to not possible: overcoming all challengers whereas contending with a probable improve in accidents and the constraints of the league’s wage cap for 3 consecutive seasons.
NFL Free Company 2024: Rating the ten Greatest Unsigned Gamers Beneath 30 | Bleacher Report
3. Edge Yannick Ngakoue
Age: 29
Yannick Ngakoue has racked up frequent flyer miles enjoying for 5 groups during the last 4 years. The sting-rusher has at all times discovered a house, however his uneven enjoying model isn’t for everybody and never one thing that groups are keen to decide to.
Ngakoue has been a productive pass-rusher all through his profession however a non-factor within the run recreation. At 6’2”, 246 kilos, he doesn’t set a agency edge, and he’s solely had greater than 30 tackles in a season as soon as.
Nonetheless, the power to hurry the passer is at all times in demand, and he can do it at a fairly excessive stage. He had solely 4 sacks whereas enjoying 72 % of the Chicago Bears’ defensive snaps this season, however he had a strain charge of 11.0 %, which topped his 10.6 % charge with the Colts in 2022.
Ngakoue needed to wait till August to get signed final 12 months, and he’s hoping to be in a coaching camp.
“I simply hope that I’m someplace earlier than coaching camp begins as a result of everybody must undergo a coaching camp in an effort to have the type of season they need to have. It’s similar to a boxer on the finish of the day. When you don’t have a correct coaching camp, you’ll be able to go into the ring and get knocked out. So it’s all about preparation,” he instructed SiriusXM NFL Radio in March (h/t Kevin Patra of NFL.com).
There are sufficient groups that would nonetheless use a pass-rush specialist on the market that Ngakoue ought to discover a dwelling.
Logical Touchdown Spots: Arizona Cardinals, Kansas Metropolis Chiefs
The 5 NFL groups with the worst report ever towards the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs | Arrowhead Addict
2. Arizona Cardinals
Report: 10-3-1
Successful Share: .750
Second on the listing is the Cardinals, who the Chiefs personal a .750 successful share over and have received 10 video games towards whereas solely dropping three (and recording a uncommon tie, which oddly sufficient occurred within the two franchise’s first-ever assembly towards one another). The Chiefs have received two in a row towards Arizona with the latest win coming within the season opener of the 2022 season.
The final time the Chiefs misplaced to the Cardinals was within the 2014 season and it was a detailed 17-14 defeat. The Chiefs ended up lacking the playoffs by one recreation that 12 months so loads of followers circled that recreation as the rationale why KC didn’t make the postseason that 12 months.
Across the NFL
Saints’ Alvin Kamara leaves minicamp as a result of contract state of affairs, which hasn’t progressed not too long ago, per reviews | CBS Sports activities
“He was right here for walkthrough this morning,” head coach Dennis Allen instructed reporters, “after which he went in, and I haven’t had an opportunity to speak to him, so I’m unsure why he wasn’t on the market for the remainder of follow.”
Kamara has two extra years remaining on his present deal — a five-year, $75 million extension that was signed in 2020. His upcoming cap hits are $18.5 million in 2024 and $29 million in 2025, in keeping with Spotrac. Per NFL Media, the Saints and Kamara have been discussing a contract restructure for months now, however the two sides haven’t made progress not too long ago.
Kamara has been the No. 2 highest-paid operating again within the NFL for years now ($15M AAV) behind Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers. The 2025 “Madden” cowl athlete simply signed a two-year extension value $38 million earlier this month.
Falcons penalized in Kirk Cousins tampering case as Eagles skate | USA At the moment
The league introduced Thursday that was not enough proof to penalize the Eagles amid their (in the end profitable) free agent pursuit of operating again Saquon Barkley. The Falcons, in the meantime, will forfeit subsequent 12 months’s fifth-round draft decide and pay a $250,000 fantastic for violating the anti-tampering coverage “associated to improper contact with potential unrestricted free brokers Kirk Cousins, Darnell Mooney, and Charlie Woerner” previous to this 12 months’s permitted negotiating window forward of March’s official opening of the free agent market. Atlanta normal supervisor Terry Fontenot will even pay a $50,000 fantastic.
Relating to the Falcons’ punishment, the league expressed in a press release: “Whereas the coverage permits golf equipment to have interaction with and negotiate all facets of an NFL participant contract with the licensed agent of any potential unrestricted free agent in the course of the two-day negotiating interval, any direct contact between the participant and an worker or consultant of the membership is prohibited. This consists of dialogue of journey preparations or different logistical issues, which the membership acknowledges befell with regard to those three gamers.”
Chargers’ Joey Bosa on pay minimize: ‘Successful’ extra essential than making ‘extra cash’ | NFL.com
Each gamers famous on Wednesday that their resolution was based mostly on the idea that L.A. was one of the best place to pursue a successful season.
“You realize, I need to win. I need to be on this staff,” Bosa stated, by way of the staff’s official transcript. “I need one other shot with the blokes on this room, particularly Khalil. Yeah, that’s what it was and successful soccer video games is extra essential to me proper now than making some extra cash. I believe we’ve got an awesome alternative right here. Who is aware of, possibly I’ll have an awesome 12 months this 12 months and issues change down the street. I believe if a man like Khalil is coming off a 12 months with 17 sacks and may take that minimize, it reveals the type of man that he’s and the type of tradition we’ve got brewing right here. That’s who I need to be with. It was a fairly simple resolution.”
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Delight
Chiefs Information: Andy Reid says Jared Wiley has ‘a pleasant really feel for the sport’
His choice — coupled with Kelce having a “down” season in 2023 (his 984 receiving yards ranked second within the league quite than first) — has led to hypothesis the staff would attempt to cut back the 34-year-old’s workload in 2024.
However on Thursday, head coach Andy Reid pushed again on that concept. Referring to Kelce’s Tuesday remarks — when the tight finish declared, “Put on and tear me, child! I’m prepared for it, man! Put the load on me!” — Reid drew laughter from reporters.
“I don’t understand how a lot we’re gonna again off on his time,” he stated with a smile. “If he needs to be worn out, we may help him with that.”
Reid additionally wished to talk about Wiley’s improvement beneath Kelce, reserve tight finish Noah Grey and place coach Tom Melvin.
“He’s acquired a superb really feel,” famous Reid of Wiley, “however he’s additionally acquired two good guys there — between Noah and Trav — that he can bounce issues off of. We’re into the offense greater than we have been when Trav was arising. So these guys assist share it — and Tom does a pleasant job educating them and spending further time with them.”
Like Kelce, Wiley was a highschool quarterback who transitioned to tight finish in faculty — however in contrast to Kelce, he performed for 2 totally different schools.
“He comes from a passing offense — a few totally different ones, however good passing offenses,” famous Reid. “He’s acquired a pleasant really feel for the sport — and he’s an enormous goal. He’s a superb participant.”
