Five Bold Predictions for the Rest of Chiefs Training Camp

In the blink of an eye, the Kansas City Chiefs already have less than a week left at training camp.

Following the team's preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday will be quiet at the Missouri Western State University campus. After that, final workouts take place on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. That leaves a very finite amount of time for players to make final cases for roster and depth chart positioning before preseason outing No. 2, thus amplifying the importance of each subsequent practice.

With four true days of camp left, let's make some bold predictions for how the action will unfold before the team packs up its belongings and heads back to Kansas City.

Andy Reid rules Patrick Mahomes out for the rest of the preseason

With Week 1's regular-season kickoff against the Denver Broncos just a month away, Patrick Mahomes' expected return to the field will be here before anyone knows it. As the two-time MVP works his way back to full strength after knee surgery late last year, however, the Chiefs have rightfully been careful with him.

Head coach Andy Reid already announced that Mahomes wouldn't suit up on Saturday against Los Angeles. Earlier this month, he didn't seem too confident in putting his best player in the line of fire at all before September 14. It's this writer's opinion that someone of Mahomes' stature doesn't need any reps in glorified exhibition games.

As much as Reid enjoys getting his "ones" out on the field, the stars may be aligning for Mahomes to avoid doing so unless it's a practice or real action.

Jaylon Moore clearly pulls away in the right tackle battle

When the Chiefs ended the Jawaan Taylor experience in the spring, it locked 2025 offseason signing Jaylon Moore into the starting right tackle spot. That's what folks thought, at least. Most of the offseason program appeared to solidify that assumption, but organized team activities (OTAs) and camp have brought some uncertainty into the mix.

Shockingly, it wasn't last year's undrafted standout Esa Pole who managed to turn heads. It was 2026 UDFA Kahlil Benson instead. Benson received ample playing time with the first-stringers to kick off training camp and is even spending time at right guard with Trey Smith out. Despite the perceived opportunity, though, it should still be Moore's job to lose.

Social media clips of Moore at right tackle look far better than those of Benson. Additionally, Moore possesses oodles more NFL experience and also is making a sizable salary ($18.68 million cap hit) in his contract year. The veteran is embracing any challenge coming his way, although this one still doesn't quite feel real enough to bleed into the regular season.

The Cyrus Allen hype train does anything but slow down

There's a case to be made that the wide receiver room has been the subject of discussion in Chiefs circles in recent months. After all, the club did little to address the position outside of adding a fifth-round rookie. There was no marquee free agent acquisition or trade to add depth or upside, in turn placing a ton of pressure on the trio of Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton.

In yet another plot twist, that same fifth-rounder is the single biggest star of camp in St. Joseph, Missouri. Cyrus Allen dominated the non-padded portion of practices, and he's still been effective and collecting highlights now that he's back from a brief injury scare. The Cincinnati product has built trust with Mahomes, which isn't easy to do as a first-year player.

Regardless of whether the chaotic discourse surrounding Allen is fair, it doesn't seem to be going away. Should he make a play against the Rams or finish strong at camp, it'll only keep showing up, just like him.

NFL Legend Steve Smith Sr. On #Chiefs rookie Cyrus Allen 🗣️

“Cyrus Allen is going to be eventually, in my humble opinion….their number one Wide Receiver.”

Via @SteveSmithSr89 pic.twitter.com/wqoznV9z9G
— SleeperChiefs (@SleeperChiefsKC) August 14, 2026

Emmanuel Ogbah generates buzz entering preseason game No. 2

The Kansas City defensive end pecking order is clearly defined at the very top, with George Karlaftis leading the way both literally and figuratively. Behind him, Ashton Gillotte suffered a hamstring injury but has since returned to practice, which could keep second-round rookie R Mason Thomas at bay for now. What about everyone else?

Felix Anudike-Uzomah benefitted from Gillotte's temporary absence and is focused on delivering in a contract year, but a new name was thrown into the hat when Emmanuel Ogbah signed this week. The 32-year-old vet clearly has his best days well behind him, yet he doesn't have to be good to garner attention.

Ogbah raises the floor of the defensive end room a bit, giving KC someone who's worthy of being rostered entering the regular season. He's also familiar with Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's system and could eat some snaps if needed. The bar is so low, but it's worth wondering if Ogbah can meet it for some and ease initial worries about a potentially wasteful allocation of resources.

Jeffrey Bassa falls to the back of the linebacker rotation

Similar to the defensive end rotation, an injury opened up some practice reps for others at linebacker. Drue Tranquill has yet to make a full return to practice, thus giving players like Cooper McDonald, Jack Cochrane and Jeffrey Bassa additional chances to show what they've got.

Unfortunately, Bassa himself was also a bit banged up, although he's been back in the mix for a minute. The catch is that McDonald drew significant praise from starter Nick Bolton this summer. Following a practice this week, Spagnuolo tipped his cap to Cochrane for his versatility. Bassa, who came into the offseason as a fan favorite for the starting SAM role, may be on the verge of fading off.

It'd make some sense, as he simply doesn't seem to have the frame or toolbox to be a factor in Leo Chenal's former role. With that said, if Bassa is ever going to break through, this should've been the time to do so. The next week-plus is paramount for him.

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