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Chiefs headlines for Thursday, April 9
The latest
The Chiefs would be getting a corner who has something to prove after putting up just three interceptions in five seasons in Cincy. A change of scenery and less pressure to live up to his first-round potential on an island could help Dennard.
Kansas City has just over $3 million in cap space. Dennard signed a $4.5 million one-year deal with the Bengals in 2019, and something a bit lower than that number could work for the Chiefs if they can paint the right picture for Dennard about just how far the 2020 version of the team can go.
NFL Power Rankings: Chiefs No. 1, Where Do Tom Brady’s New and Old Teams Land? | SI
1. Kansas City Chiefs
No moves—or lack thereof—matter more than the defending Super Bowl champions being led by the best QB in the NFL. The Chiefs’ offseason priorities include working toward an extension for Patrick Mahomes and also trying to keep long-term their best player on defense, franchise-tagged DL Chris Jones. A restructure of Sammy Watkins’s contract last week freed up the team’s impossibly tight cap space. The Chiefs still have some holes to fill, namely cornerback, but Andy Reid is in his basement office, likely drawing up some wild pass concepts with which his generational QB will try to defend their championship (whenever it is that play resumes).
AFC West roster reset: Chiefs are stacked, but division is surging | NFL.com
Kansas City Chiefs: It must be nice being able to bring the band back together. The Chiefs remain Super Bowl favorites, mostly because of Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, but also because they avoided any major departures this offseason. With a massive Mahomes extension obviously lurking, the next major decision is whether to lock up Jones long term. He played a vital role in the win over the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, and losing him would change the complexion of a defense that’s more good than great. Kansas City’s biggest priorities in the draft will probably be bolstering its cornerback depth and interior offensive line. There otherwise aren’t any real weaknesses on this team. And Mahomes’ track record even when there were weaknesses in the previous two seasons suggests a title run is in order regardless. He’s that special.
Best small-college studs ever for all 32 NFL teams: Payton, Rice, McNair and more | ESPN
Kansas City Chiefs
Emmitt Thomas, cornerback
College: Bishop College
Years with team: 1966-78
The Chiefs have plenty of great candidates here because in their early seasons they brought in many players from historically black colleges and universities, including defensive tackle Buck Buchanan (Grambling), linebacker Willie Lanier (Morgan State) and receiver Otis Taylor (Prairie View). Those schools sent many others to the NFL, though, so the pick here is Thomas, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who went to Bishop College in Dallas. Bishop closed in 1988. — Adam Teicher
Round 1 - Pick 32
Jordan Elliott DL
Kansas City
With not much wiggle room cap-wise and Chris Jones playing on the franchise tag this season, the Chiefs get some insurance at defensive tackle with another long pass rusher.
My 2010s All-Decade Team: Tom Brady edges Aaron Rodgers | NFL.com
SAFETIES
Earl Thomas (Seahawks, 2010-18; Ravens, 2019)
Eric Berry (Chiefs, 2010-18)
Among the triumvirate of Sherman, Thomas and tone-setting strong safety Kam Chancellor, it wasn’t always easy to ascertain exactly which one was the engine making the Legion of Boom go. As valuable as the other two may have been, I always thought it was Thomas’ sideline-to-sideline range and exceptional closing speed as the center fielder that made Pete Carroll’s Cover 3 defense sing. Thomas ranked first among safeties in Pro Bowls (seven) in the last decade, while finishing second in picks (30, just behind Reggie Nelson’s 31). He tied for first in All-Pro selections with Berry (three), which may come as a surprise to casual observers. While Berry had just five relatively injury-free seasons, he made the Pro Bowl in each of those campaigns and is second only to Malcolm Jenkins among safeties this era with five interceptions returned for touchdowns. Healthier, more productive safeties such as Jenkins, Eric Weddle, Harrison Smith, Glover Quin and Devin McCourty have strong claims to the second spot behind Thomas. You’ll have to forgive me if I give the nod to Berry as the only one to capture Comeback Player of the Year recognition after beating cancer and returning to play at a high level.
Behind the Lens: Counting Down the Top 12 Photos from the 2019 Season – No. 1 | The Mothership
Q: Why is this the top photo of the year?
Sanders: “This isn’t a game-day photo and it’s not necessarily something that we always share. It was our team photo, but there was so much going on here. Practice had ended a little bit early and we were waiting on a few executives for the photo, but the players had all assembled on the risers and we were just waiting a few minutes while getting everybody positioned correctly. [Quarterback] Patrick [Mahomes], who was going to be standing in the second row, saw an opportunity to make a great picture and moved to those vacant spots in the front row that are meant for Coach [Andy] Reid, General Manager Brett Veach, President Mark Donovan and [Chairman & CEO] Clark Hunt. He looked up at me, gave me a nod and a wink, then came around the corner before taking his position there on the front bench. I took a couple quick frames and that was it.”
"There is so much personality on this team. They get along like a family and there are a lot of friendships. I think that bond is what helped this team develop the chemistry it needed to win and persevere through the season." @65TPTPhotog
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) April 8, 2020
Around the NFL
2020 NFL Draft: Best analytics-based team fits for top five WRs | NFL.com
2. Jerry Jeudy + Las Vegas Raiders = +0.69 wins
His college teammate, Henry Ruggs III, might be the bigger attention-grabber, considering his blazing 4.27 40 time at the NFL Scouting Combine, but my computer vision measures Jeudy’s game speed burst off the line of scrimmage as the fastest of the consensus top-15 wideouts in this draft class. Jeudy’s route-running precision and ability to use directional and speed changes mid-route to increase the distance between him and opposing defensive backs ranks second among 2020 WR prospects. Jeudy forecasts best in a Jon Gruden scheme because it will leverage his athleticism, elusiveness and precision in a way that should lead to a ton of targets from the jump.
NFL Draft 2020: Here’s an insider’s look at how the first 10 picks could unfold | CBS Sports
6. Chargers – QB Justin Herbert
They have a massive need at this position. They are ignoring guys like Cam Newton and Jameis Winston on the free agent market. They have to take a QB here, and they had great success out of Oregon 45 years ago. Huge arm. Perfect physical gifts. High-end upside, though with some concerns about consistency and productivity in college. Has a great cast around him and with no offseason, Tyrod Taylor can hold the reigns to start the season.
Todd Gurley, Clay Matthews say they’re still awaiting paychecks from Rams | ESPN
You and me both TG! Better get some interest with that too https://t.co/E8RIOhg7sH
— Clay Matthews III (@ClayMatthews52) April 9, 2020
Matt Rhule says Cam Newton release more about Teddy Bridgewater | ESPN
“I have no doubt that he will play well,” Rhule said of Newton. “He is a great quarterback, and we have all seen the things that he has done. I just think as we move forward, we thought this was the right time for us. We saw the opportunity to get Teddy and really felt like he was the right fit for us.
The Falcons’ new jerseys made all the mistakes the Buccaneers didn’t | SB Nation
What was supposed to be an April 14 reveal became official six days earlier than planned when the jerseys leaked and the internet dunked all over them. Now we have official photos of Atlanta’s 2020 home, away, and Color Rush kits and can officially say they’re a solid “B+” project for a high school graphic design class.
For our team.
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) April 8, 2020
Our fans.
⁰Our city. pic.twitter.com/15e5ZX6EtE
In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride
Tom Brady on Patrick Mahomes: “He’s pretty spectacular”
Howard Stern: “How hard was it for you to watch the Super Bowl this year and see this guy (Patrick) Mahomes pulling a Tom Brady out of his ass, winning the game at the last minute? Were you sitting there jealous as hell?”
Tom Brady: “Out of his ass? (laughing). He’s pretty spectacular. I love — that guy’s an incredible player, so he’s done a great job. I mean he’s a great young player. There’s a lot of other great young players and everyone does the job a little differently. It’s tough, always, when you’re not playing, but we didn’t deserve to be there, so I’m not going to hate on the fact that they were. They deserved it. May the best team win. That’s sports.”
A tweet to make you think
B always https://t.co/20Tmbh5Oig
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) April 8, 2020
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