KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs open the preseason at noon in New Orleans.
You can watch the game on KSHB 41, your Home of the Chiefs, and follow along with our staff on X.
Here are three things to watch from the game:
1. Who steps up at wide receiver?
For the second straight season, the Chiefs have to replace their leading receiver.
It was Tyreek Hill last season, but now Kansas City has to replace JuJu Smith-Schuster, who led the team’s receivers with 933 yards last season before signing with New England in the offseason.
The projected top receiver, Kadarius Toney, is out, but that creates an opportunity for the rest of the group to show what it can do outside of a structured practice environment.
Second-year receiver Skyy Moore is expected to take a big leap after struggling to assimilate to the offense and turn potential into production last season.
Moore admitted that the learning curve in Andy Reid’s offense was steep, but he feels comfortable and ready for a breakout season.
Perhaps he can also help this season’s second-round pick, Rashee Rice, adjust quicker to the pro game.
Rice and fellow rookie Justyn Ross, who spent last season on injured reserve, have been the talk of training camp.
Both have shown a rapport with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and filled highlight reels with some ridiculous catches, but the key now is to translate that to the field and show they can play fast against a real opponent.
Richie James Jr., a veteran who most recently played with the New York Giants, projects as the Chiefs’ starting punt returner, but he also needs to have a productive role in the offense.
We’ll start to find out how quickly he’s picked up Kansas City’s offense beginning today.
2. Cornerback depth
With Nazeeh Johnson’s season-ending injury, there’s a spot on the depth chart for a cornerback that wasn’t there when camp started.
Rookie Nic Jones, a seven-round pick last April, was a good bet to make the roster anyway, but now he may need to soak up more snaps than originally planned.
Is he ready?
Can undrafted rookie Ekow Boye-Doe, a former Kansas State star who has impressed enough in camp to move ahead of veteran Dicaprio Bootle on the Chiefs’ initial depth chart, force his way onto the roster?
Without Johnson and with the team’s top corner, L’Jarius Sneed, out as Kansas City manages swelling in his knee, Boye-Doe and Jones will get a chance for important reps against the Saints.
But Bootle and other corners on the depth chart, including Kahleef Hailassie and Lamar Jackson (no, not that Lamar Jackson!), have a chance to put together some tape that will help them make a roster in Kansas City or elsewhere.
3. New tackles tasked with protecting Mahomes
The Chiefs’ tackles gave up a lot of pressure last season, but Orlando Brown Jr. and Andrew Wylie have moved on.
Now, the task of protecting Mahomes on the edge falls to left tackle Donovan Smith and right tackle Jawaan Taylor.
Building chemistry is key for an offensive line.
Building Mahomes’ confidence in their ability to pass protect is critical, too.
Smith and Taylor have been fine in camp, but the game gets faster and the stakes get real now that Mahomes can get hit by opposing players with ill intent.
Who won’t play?
Wide receiver Kadarius Toney (knee) remains sidelined after knee surgery. He is one of five veterans who won’t play against the Saints due to injury along with defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton, running back Isiah Pacheco, cornerback L’Jarius Sneed and tight end Jody Fortson.
Defensive tackle Chris Jones, who has yet to report for training camp, also won’t play.
Wharton (knee) remains on the Physically Unable to Perform list as he continues to recover from a torn ACL suffered last October.
Pacheco (shoulder/hand), who has been limited to non-contact drills throughout training camp, still hasn’t been cleared for a full return.
He underwent offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum and broken hand, so the medical staff has been cautious with Pacheco, who led the Chiefs in rushing yards (830) and rushing touchdowns (five) as a rookie last season, during the offseason.
Fortson (shoulder) and Sneed (knee) picked up injuries in recent weeks at training camp and sat out the preseason opener.
Defensive end Chris Jones isn’t injured, but he also missed the game amid an ongoing holdout.
Jones, a finalist for NFL Defensive Player of the Year last season, is entering the final year of a four-year deal worth more than $80 million.
He reportedly seeks an extension that will make him the second-highest paid defensive lineman in the NFL.
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