The latest
Top 100 NFL Players of 2022: Aaron Donald new No. 1 as the Rams have three of the top 10; Aaron Rodgers no. 2 | CBS Sports
3 – Patrick Mahomes
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS QB
He wasn’t as good last season as in years past, but he remains one of the best in the league. Even a slight dip for him is better than most. It will be interesting to see what he does without Tyreek Hill this season.
1 Player Each NFL Team Should Put on the Trade Block This Preseason | Bleacher Report
Kansas City Chiefs: Edge Mike Danna
The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t exactly loaded on the edge, but the presence of three-time Pro Bowler Frank Clark and first-round rookie George Karlaftis has the position in decent shape heading into the new season.
With those starters set, Kansas City could place backup defensive lineman Mike Danna on the block and attempt to get a mid-round pick for his services.
Danna was a fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft. He’s been a decent depth option during his first two NFL seasons, recording 51 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 30 games.
The 24-year-old has intriguing upside and could potentially show out in a bigger role, one he probably won’t get an opportunity to take on with the talent ahead of him in Kansas City. Danna has only seen 868 defensive snaps over his first two seasons and could see his playing time diminish with Karlaftis now in the fold.
If the Chiefs get a strong offer for Danna—and there are plenty of teams desperate for pass-rushing help—they may benefit more from it than keeping a rotational edge-rusher on their roster.
2022 NFL Preseason Week 1 recap: What you need to know about injuries, position battles, rookie debuts | NFL.com
15) Kansas City used rookie running back Isiah Pacheco with Patrick Mahomes near the goal line on the Chiefs’ first preseason drive. Pacheco appears to be the team’s No. 2 running back already, which might not leave a spot on the roster for Ronald Jones. Pacheco’s burst — and the violence with which he runs — pops off the screen.
Patrick Mahomes Is Preparing For Another Leap | MMQB SI
The truth was important for Mahomes to confront. Because there was actually a blueprint that was being drawn to combat the Chiefs. In fact, a league-wide trend to play with two high safeties, in order to slow down offenses increasingly built on the big strike, had Kansas City as the primary target and, as the numbers showed through the guts of last fall, it was actually working for a while.
“A lot of single-safety-middle his first couple of years, zone and predominantly man [coverage]—different kinds of man, but man,” Reid said. “And then the last couple of years, it’s this shell coverage. So variations of it, and he’s just taken to it and tried to dissect it all. There’s probably not a whole lot that he’s gonna see that he hasn’t already seen some combination of. And when you show him something, he’s gonna study it and look at it and look at it and look at it.
“And that’s how he’s wired. So I think the last couple of years have been tremendous for him.”
But it didn’t always feel tremendous.
Frank Boal shares a nice message about former Chiefs star Len Dawson, who is in hospice Kansas City Star
Dawson, who was the MVP of Super Bowl IV, played for the Chiefs organization from 1962-’75 and later worked as an analyst for the team’s radio broadcasts. He also was on HBO’s “Inside the NFL” show and worked as a longtime sports anchor on KMBC-TV.
Those in the NFL and the media who know Dawson shared messages of support for the former Chiefs star who is now 87.
That includes Frank Boal, whose work over three decades with WDAF-TV (Ch. 4) and KSHB-TV (Ch. 41) earned him a spot in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
It breaks my heart to hear about Len Dawson going into hospice. We spent a lot of time together traveling with and covering the Chiefs. He’s one of the nicest guys ever. No pretensions and was never without that smile.
He was always, “Lenny the cool!!” pic.twitter.com/Ji17ZAwzwq— frank boal (@realfrankboal) August 12, 2022
Around the NFL
Eagles trade JJ Arcega-Whiteside to Seahawks for DB Ugo Amadi | NFL.com
NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Monday that the Eagles have traded the receiver to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for nickel corner Ugo Amadi, per sources informed of the situation. The Eagles have since announced the trade.
A second-round pick out of Stanford in 2019, Arcega-Whiteside struggled to gain traction during three seasons in Philly. As a rookie, he caught 10 passes for 169 yards and one score in 16 games. In 2020, he snagged four passes in eight games for 85 yards. And in 2021, he netted just two receptions for 36 yards in 16 games played.
Tennessee Titans LB Bud Dupree pleads guilty to lesser assault charge, gets probation | ESPN
Titans outside linebacker Bud Dupree pleaded guilty to a lesser assault charge in Nashville on Monday and was sentenced to six months of probation, according to online court records.
Dupree had been cited with misdemeanor assault (fear of bodily injury) after an altercation with an employee at a Walgreens in Nashville in January and turned himself into authorities in February. After the plea agreement Monday, Dupree pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault (offensive or provocative).
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Film review: What to take away from the Chiefs’ starting offense on Saturday
Chemistry between quarterback and receiver
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed six of seven passes on the drive, hitting six different pass-catchers.
The first completion to a wide receiver was a nine-yard gain to Mecole Hardman that set up second-and-short — but the reception alone should have moved the sticks.
It’s the little things w/ 17
The curl route at the 1st-down marker needs to turn into a 1st down. Yes, you want to come back to the ball and not wait for it to get there, but you’d like to see him feel his position on the field and sit on the ball to move the sticks #Chiefs pic.twitter.com/SXPpe1Qy8S
— Ron Kopp Jr. (@Ron_Kopp) August 15, 2022
The depth of this route is designed to adjust based on the position of the first-down marker. So the receiver needs to do what it takes to position themselves so they’ll earn a first down with the catch. Hardman runs the route at the sticks and comes back for the ball, but the depth of his route makes the catch happen past the sticks.
A tweet to make you think
This kid was holding a sign saying he is the world’s biggest Mike Rose fan and now he is getting a great long chat with him. He even has the jersey pic.twitter.com/BxICGc3IJo
— Cody Tapp (@codybtapp) August 15, 2022