KANSAS CITY, Mo — The quest for NFL history begins Saturday in Jacksonville.
No team has ever won three straight Super Bowls, but the Kansas City Chiefs have won the last two and want to stand alone as football’s greatest dynasty.
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But the realities of salary-cap constraints and the unrelenting march of time force teams to churn the roster and find the right mix of players year after year.
That’s the challenge for Chiefs coach Andy Reid and his staff — make a champion out of the pieces GM Brett Veach has assembled. Here are five players to watch against the Jaguars:
1. LT Kingsley Suamaitia
Suamaitia, the rookie from BYU, moved to the top of the depth chart when the pads came on at training camp, but we’ll get our first glimpse of him in game action.
It’ll probably be brief — a drive or two, at most — but it’ll be worth watching how he holds up.
Second-year left tackle Wanya Morris remains in the mix to protect Patrick Mahomes’ blindside, but Suamaitia is the clear front-runner. He gets to prove that he deserves the job beginning with his reps in Jacksonville.
2. WR Nikko Remigio
The NFL adjusted its kickoff rules, bringing the return game back into play after years of mostly unexciting touchbacks.
It will look awkward and take some getting used to by players and fans, but it renews the importance of a special-teams skill that had faded in recent years.
The Chiefs value Dave Toub’s input in roster construction and every year players like Cam Jones, Jack Cochrane, Deon Bush and Justin Watson lock in roster spots with their special-teams contributions.
Remigio is the top kick returner on the depth chart, but he’ll have to excel if he’s not going to be a factor with the offense.
If he looks dangerous on returns, or if he looks like a possible back-end contributor at wide receiver, Remigio’s chances to lock down a roster spot soar.
Justyn Ross, Mecole Hardman Jr., Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney also are competing for roster spots on the back. At most, three players from that group of five, including Remigio, will make the initial 53-man roster.
3. CB Nazeeh Johnson
Johnson was having a great camp before suffering a season-ending knee injury last year.
The Chiefs need some players to step up at corner after trading L’Jarius Sneed to Tennessee in the offseason.
Trent McDuffie, Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson and Chamarri Conner were keys players on the Chiefs’ championship-winning defense last season and figure to be locks to make the roster along with Johnson, who is the lone unproven player in that group.
There’s ample reason to think he’ll be fine, but Johnson does play in the Show-Me State.
4. RB Louis Rees-Zammit
Beyond Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, there aren’t any locks in the running back room to make the roster.
Pass protection, pass-catching and special teams figure to be critical skills for any third running back on Kansas City’s roster. That’s what allowed Jerick McKinnon to thrive the last few years.
Reese-Zammit has a steep learning curve, making the transition from rugby. He was a rising star for Wales, but chose the Chiefs to chase his football dream.
Is he ready to contribute? Does he have some unique skills that make him a valuable gadget player? Or does he look like a developmental project destined for the practice squad?
Those answers will start to come as the preseason rolls on.
5. Neil Farrell Jr.
Acquired via trade late in training camp last season, Farrell never found a role with the 2023 squad.
He won’t challenge Chris Jones or Turk Wharton for a starting job, but can put himself in the mix to challenge Mike Pennel and Matt Dickerson for a rotational interior defensive line spot by stringing together some strong performances.
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