The Kansas City Chiefs ended their mandatory minicamp on Thursday, marking the end of their offseason activities before training camp begins next month. The defending Super Bowl Champions are expected to be competitive again next season, meaning Andy Reid & Co. must enter the 2024 NFL campaign with the best roster possible.
As with any year, organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamps are crucial to evaluating talent before training camp. While certain Chiefs have stood out for all the right reasons during the first portion of offseason works, others left much to be desired and could be at risk of losing their potential roster spot.
With that in mind, let's take a look at five Chiefs who are on the roster bubble following OTAs and minicamp.
1. Skyy Moore, WR
There was plenty of hype surrounding Skyy Moore folliwng the 2022 NFL Draft. The former 54th-overall selection had just recored nearly 1,300 receiving yards with nine touchdowns in his final year at Western Michigan, looking as if he was ready to do some damage at the next level.
Instead, Moore has been invisible more often than not during his early NFL career. Through 30 games across two seasons, the ex-Bronco has only hauled in 43-of-71 targets (60.6%) for 494 yards and one touchdown. That's without mentioning how he's carried a passer rating when targeted of 51.3 or worse in each season, showing how unreliable of a weapon he's been.
Although he has two years remaining on his rookie deal, Moore's future in Kansas City isn't guaranteed. His spot on the depth chart has become less clear after the Chiefs signed Marquise Brown before spending a first-round pick on Xavier Worthy at the draft. Throw in the fact that Kadarius Toney, Mecole Hardman, Justin Watson, and Nikko Remigio are around and it's easy to see why Moore could be in trouble.
With the Chiefs' WR room looking much better than one year ago, Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport speculates that the team could trade Moore this offseason. A deal would give Kansas City about $1.2 million to play with, which could be used to improve other areas on the roster.
Considering how there hasn't been much praise for Moore in the first half of the offseason, it's clear that he needs to have a strong training camp if he wants to stick around.
2. Ian Book, QB
There was a point when Ian Book looked like he had a bright NFL career. After all, he enjoyed a productive run at Notre Dame before being selected by the New Orleans Saints during the fourth round of the 2021 draft.
Unfortunately, Book hasn't been able to hang around anywhere he's gone. The ex-Fighting Irish QB joined the Chiefs on a future contract back in January, marking the fourth franchise he's joined since being drafted just over three years ago. He's already been waived three times, leading time to tell if he'll finally find his footing in Kansas City.
Book may have had potential at one point, but I don't see him cracking the Chiefs' roster. Patrick Mahomes and Carson Wentz already have the top two QB spots, respectively, leaving the 26-year-old to compete with Chris Oladokun for the third-string job.
Book and Oladokun barely have any NFL experience between them, but it's more likely that the latter sticks around. This summer marks Oladokun's third offseason with the Chiefs, meaning he's likely a lot more familiar with the coaching staff's concepts, lingo, and play calls compared to Book, who's only been with the team for five months.
After a lackluster minicamp showing, it's time for Book to step up or step aside. If he doesn't show up to training camp with a better effort, he might want to start considering who his fifth NFL franchise will be.
3. Isaiah Buggs, DT
After being released by the Detroit Lions in January, veteran defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs joined the Chiefs practice squad for the playoffs. While he didn't end up appearing in a single postseason contest, Kansas City liked the 27-year-old enough to ink him to a future contract following the Super Bowl LVIII victory.
It didn't take long for Buggs to ruin all good faith he had with the Chiefs fanbase, though. The former Alabama defender was arrested and accused of animal cruelty in May after several dogs were found neglected on his property back in March.
With how serious those legal issues can be, it wouldn't be surprising if the writing is already on the wall for Buggs. The last thing the Chiefs want is a major off-field distraction as they aim to become the first-ever NFL team to win three consecutive Super Bowls.
Making matters worse for Buggs is the fact that Kansas City has signed fellow DT Alex Gubner following a strong minicamp tryout. The reigning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year was one of the brightest parts of this year's minicamp and his sign could indicate that the Chiefs are ready to cut ties with his veteran counterpart.
I'd say that Buggs' time in Kansas City won't be forgotten if he is waived this summer, but that'd be a lie.
4. Kadarius Toney, WR
Kadarius Toney is one of those players who fans believe has a ton of potential, only for him to let them down on a season-to-season basis. He looked like he was ready to become one of the NFL's premier wideouts when he tallied 189 yards on 10 catches against the Dallas Cowboys in his rookie year, setting a new franchise record for a first-year New York Giants wideout.
But Toney hasn't even come close to matching that performance since then and not even a move to Kansas City could help him. The 25-year-old pass-catcher has played 20 games with the Chiefs over the last two seasons, yielding 41 receptions for just 340 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He's also had six drops during that stretch and recorded a lowly 66.7 passer rating when targeted in 2023.
If a wideout is putting Patrick Mahomes — a top-two quarterback of all time — on a level below Bailey Zappe (68.8), there's a serious issue.
Much like Moore, Toney must now compete with an extremely promising WR core going forward. He's no longer a lock to make the 53-man roster, especially when the Chiefs can save $2.5 million by trading him at any point this offseason. Even if Kansas City gives up on Toney, there's likely to be at least one team out there that believes they can rehabilitate the former 2021 first-round pick.
After having not reported to any offseason workout until June 11, Toney might already be on the coaching staff's wrong side.
5. Irv Smith Jr., TE
The Chiefs didn't waste time giving Mahomes another weapon once free agency opened, signing veteran tight end Irv Smith Jr. to a one-year contract. The 25-year-old pass-catcher spent the last four seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals, hauling in 109 catches for 973 receiving yards with 10 TDs.
The expectation at the time of the signing was that Smith would occupy the TE3 role behind Travis Kelce and Noah Grey. Well, that plan didn't even last two months as the Chiefs decided to use the 131st pick of the 2024 NFL Draft on TCU's Jared Wiley. The rookie TE was one of the top prospects at his position in this year's class and oozed potential before his name was even called.
Unfortunately for Smith, Wiley appears to be exactly as advertised. The ex-Horned Frog's stock has been on the rise following strong OTA and minicamp showings, resulting in his receiving praise across the board. It ranges from Kelce saying that Wiley is better than he was as a rookie to head coach Andy Reid praising the rookie for having "a nice feel to the game."
After Wiley's impressive showing, it's hard to find where Smith fits into this equation. Kelce isn't going anywhere and Grey isn't getting waived after his solid 2023 campaign. With Wiley being too good to be stuck on the practice squad, Smith is the most likely cut candidate of the quartet.
The good news for the Chiefs is that they can free up $768,500 by cutting Smith or rid themselves entirely of his $1.1 million salary if they trade him. Either way, they have options to dump the veteran TE who clearly isn't needed at this point other than to be a warm training camp body.
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