Biggest Winners and Losers From the Chiefs' 2026 Preseason

The Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up their preseason with a 9-9 tie against the Seattle Seahawks last night, snapping an eight-game preseason losing streak. Harrison Butker missed a 58-yarder wide right in the second half, which kept the streak from ending more convincingly, but the scoreboard was beside the point.

Before getting into the biggest winners and losers, it is worth acknowledging a handful of players who also helped their cause this summer. Defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah had the best three-game stretch of his Chiefs career, finally looking like the pass rusher they drafted in the first round, albeit in the preseason.

Defensive tackle Peter Woods asserted himself in the run game for the first time last night after a quiet first two weeks. Safety Jaden Hicks was the team's highest-graded defender in back-to-back games.

Defensive tackle Marcus Harris led the Chiefs in tackles last night with six, adding three tackles for loss in his most impactful performance of the preseason. That came after a strong performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is looking more and more like a 53-man lock if Omarr Norman-Lott starts the season on PUP.

And wide receiver Jalen Royals may have saved his roster spot with a six-catch, 51-yard night in Tampa Bay, displaying strong YAC skills. None of them cracked the top three, but all of them enter cutdown day in a better position than they started camp.

Before roster cuts arrive at 5 p.m. tomorrow, here is a look at the three biggest winners and losers from the 2026 preseason as a whole, with last night's performances factoring heavily into the equation.

Winners

The Running Back Room

This is a two-for-one, because the story of the preseason at this position cannot be told without both names. Running back Emmett Johnson finished with 26 rushes for 123 yards, a 4.73 yards-per-carry average, and a touchdown. He showed real versatility as a receiver out of the backfield, including a beautifully executed screen pass for 14 yards last night.

Running back Brashard Smith took the baton in the finale and ran with it, carrying 16 times for 72 yards last night alone, including a 57-yard kick return that raised real questions about the return game picture. Smith finished the preseason with 130 total rushing yards at 4.3 yards per carry.

To put those numbers in context, Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt combined for just 3.8 yards per carry last season on 281 attempts. Johnson and Smith posted those numbers as backups behind a prized free agent in Kenneth Walker, who only took a couple of carries this preseason.

The depth at the running back position looks nothing like it has in recent years, and that is one of the more exciting developments of the entire summer.

R Mason Thomas

Defensive end R Mason Thomas saved his best for last, but the body of work across all three games is what makes this one easy. He was generating pressure in back-to-back weeks before strip-sacking Seahawks quarterback Jalen Milroe last night for the signature moment of his preseason.

He led the Chiefs in pass rush win rate at 21.4 percent last night, according to PFF, and finished with eight total pressures across three games. For an undersized second-round edge rusher at 6-foot-2 and 249 pounds, the consistency and the closing speed he has shown against professional competition answer the most pressing question about his game.

His run defense at this level is still a question mark, but he is a legitimate pass-rush threat, and the Chiefs badly needed one behind George Karlaftis.

Garrett Nussmeier

At the start of training camp, carrying a third quarterback was not a given. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier made it one. He went 22-for-34 for 198 yards last night, finishing the preseason without a touchdown but with 370 yards passing. Even more so than the stats would suggest, it was his poise and ability to throw from and outside of the pocket that was most impressive.

Across three games, he moved the offense consistently, commanded the huddle, and showed a willingness to push the ball downfield while also taking care of it more often than not. The Chiefs have not carried three quarterbacks since 2023. Nussmeier played his way onto this roster, which is about as clean a winner designation as this exercise produces.

Losers

Kristian Fulton

This one is not about his play. Cornerback Kristian Fulton was solid throughout the preseason, breaking up a pass in the end zone last night and competing like a starter every time he was on the field. The loser label here is about deployment and salary cap. He totaled 21 snaps last night, playing fewer snaps than only Kaiir Elam and D'Arco Perkins-McAllister at the cornerback position.

For a player entering his sixth NFL season on a two-year $10 million contract, playing that late into a preseason game against third-team competition is a difficult optic. Brett Veach can still save $5 million by releasing or trading him before cutdown day, and the way he has been used this preseason may be the clearest signal yet that the organization is weighing exactly that.

His play says he deserves to be here. The roster math may say otherwise.

Nikko Remigio

Wide receiver Nikko Remigio is one of Dave Toub's most trusted players, and that loyalty has kept him on this roster through multiple roster crunches. But the preseason raised a real question about whether his value as a return specialist is enough to justify a spot when others are making a case to handle that role and contribute elsewhere.

He logged just 12 passing snaps the entire preseason, making him a true one-phase player at this point. Then last night, Brashard Smith took a kick return for 57 yards, reminding everyone that the return job is not necessarily Remigio's to keep by default.

If Toub pounds the table hard enough, Remigio makes the 53. But if the Chiefs are comfortable that Smith, Emari Demercado, Cyrus Allen, among others, can handle returns, the roster spot could go to someone who does more on Sundays.

Andrew Armstrong

Like Fulton, this loser label is not a commentary on wide receiver Andrew Armstrong's play. Over three preseason games, he was arguably the Chiefs' most productive receiver. Last night alone, he led the team with five catches for 54 yards on eight targets, doing everything in his power to force the coaching staff's hand.

He was also the best blocking wide receiver on the field in every game he played. The problem is not what he did. Once again, it is the roster math. For Armstrong to make the 53, the Chiefs would need to carry seven wide receivers or feel comfortable enough with Brashard Smith as a returner to move on from Remigio.

Remigio starting on kick and punt return last night suggests that it is not the current plan. Armstrong played like someone who belongs in the NFL. Whether he gets that chance in Kansas City tomorrow or somewhere else down the road, the tape from this preseason is a strong resume builder.

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