Saturday at 7 p.m. CT marks the official beginning of 2025-26 Chiefs football (well, preseason that is) when Kansas City visits the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.
It’s the first game-action tape the coaching staff will be able to evaluate who from this current 90-man roster will see their name posted when the 53-man roster sheet comes out later this month.
Head Coach Andy Reid announced in an interview from Thursday’s practice that the starters will see about a quarter’s worth of playing time (which really only means a couple of drives), with the second and third teams filling in for the rest of the game. There are two guys at the wide receiver position, however, who will see a bevy of snaps, and while on the same team, might just be competing with each other for the last spot on the roster at the position.
54th overall draft pick in 2022, Skyy Moore has caused many Chiefs fans a fair share of dismay since he’s taken the field. In his three years with the team, he’s amassed 41 catches for 494 yards and one score. Moore's continuous inability to catch passes thrown right in his chest and muffed punts galore have done him a complete disservice as well.
Not to mention that he missed all but six games last year due to a core muscle injury and has been held out of training camp as of late with a hamstring strain. Moore is going to play a lot on Saturday. How much he plays when Patrick Mahomes is on the field is unknown, but any time he gets, Moore needs to make it count for his sake.
Drafted just four spots before Moore, former Patriots WR Tyquan Thornton is looking for a fresh start in KC after signing late last season to the practice squad as insurance. His career stats aren’t all too dissimilar from Moore's, with 385 yards on 39 grabs for two TDs. They’re not impressive numbers by any stretch, but Thornton does possess an elite skill that is coveted by Reid. Speed.
It’s been evident throughout training camp as he’s built a nice rapport with Mahomes, who has no problem chucking it up to a guy who ran a 4.28 40-yard dash at the combine. The Baylor University product has also had trouble staying healthy, missing almost all of last season with a shoulder injury, and a handful of games in each of his first two seasons as a pro.
Keep your eyes fixed on #24 (Moore) and #2 (Thornton) on Saturday. They’ll be on the field a lot and will have to maximize every opportunity given to them in hopes of outplaying each other.