The 2024 NFL season is rapidly approaching, however, there are still a few stops along the way before the action begins. Training camp is the next stop on the offseason calendar and the Kansas City Chiefs — the back-to-back defending Super Bowl Champions — are set to hold their sessions at Missouri Western State University beginning on Sunday, July 21.
Expectations next season are higher than ever for the Chiefs, who look to pull off the first Super Bowl three-peat in NFL history. Head coach Andy Reid needs all hands on deck to pull off the historical feat, meaning there's no room for underperformers on next season's 53-man roster.
With training camp set to weed out the pretenders from the contenders, here's a look at five Chiefs who are already finding themselves on the roster bubble.
1. Kadarius Toney, WR
No matter how you slice it, Kadarius Toney's run with the Chiefs has been quite underwhelming.
A former 2021 first-round selection, Toney has shown flashes of potential in the past. He's quick on his feet and dangerous with the ball in his hands. He even recorded 189 receiving yards in a single game as a rookie, which isn't something that the average wide receiver can pull off even on his best day.
Unfortunately, Toney's brilliant moments are too far between and he's barely had any since joining the Chiefs.
In the last two seasons, the former Florida Gator has played 12 games in a Kansas City jersey, hauling in just 41 of 55 targets for 340 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He also tallied seven receptions for 50 yards and a TD during the 2022 postseason, however, he missed the entirety of the franchise's latest Super Bowl run.
Some people believe that Toney can turn things around given that he's only 25 years old, however, I wouldn't hold my breath. Between his lengthy injury history and constant off-field issues, it's hard to feel confident about his outlook — especially since he struggles to produce with Patrick Mahomes, who has the best arm on the planet.
With Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy joining the Chiefs' WR room, the need for Toney just isn't there like it once was. Unless he turns things around, it makes sense for Kansas City to consider trading him this summer since such a move would free up $2.5 million in cap space, per Spotrac.
2. Irv Smith Jr., TE
Speaking of potentially cut pass-catchers, Irv Smith Jr.'s future in Kansas City might not be as safe as he thinks.
Looking to add more depth behind Travis Kelce, the Chiefs signed Smith to a one-year deal earlier this offseason. The veteran tight end has tallied nearly 1,000 receiving yards with 10 TDs across four seasons between the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals, so the hope was that he could provide a supporting role alongside Kelce and Noah Gray.
Smith's outlook changed at the 2024 NFL Draft, though. The Chiefs used this year's 131st overall selection on former TCU TE Jared Wiley, who has all the tools to become Kelce's successor. After all, the Horned Frogs already ran schemes as the Chiefs, resulting in Wiley turned 71 catches into 765 yards and 12 TDs across the last two seasons.
With Wiley's arrival to the organization, Smith is projected to be the TE4 on the depth charts and it's hard to seem him rising any higher. On top of the Chiefs clearly being high on their rookie tight end, Kelce won't lose his top spot while Gray already has more chemistry than Mahomes.
Besides, there's a financial incentive to cut the ex-Alabama product. The Chiefs can save either $768,500 by cutting him or $1.1 million with a trade.
3. Cornell Powell, WR
This summer marks Cornell Powell's fourth Chiefs training camp, however, it might just be his last.
Despite being a fifth-round selection from three years ago, Powell has yet to earn himself a legitimate role in Kansas City. He's played just three regular-season games — with all of them coming in 2022 — and constantly spends more time than not either on the injured list or practice squad than he does playing.
What's even worse is that it isn't as if Powell is getting any decent opportunities. He's played just three offensive snaps compared to 28 on special teams and hasn't even been targeted by Mahomes once. That's pretty embarrassing given that 16 different Kansas City players were targeted and caught a pass in 2023 alone.
With new faces like Brown and Worthy joining the Chiefs' returning WR core, it's hard to imagine Powell surviving training camp. He's already on the last year of his rookie deal and it's entirely possible that Kansas City opts to get rid of him sooner rather than having him rot away on the practice squad again.
If Powell hopes to become a full-time NFL player, it'll likely have to happen with another team.
4. Deneric Prince, RB
Deneric Prince was one of the Chiefs' standout players last offseason. After going unselected at the 2023 NFL Draft, the former Tulsa running back forced his way onto the practice squad with a strong training camp showing, earning plenty of praise from fans and the coaching staff alike along the way.
Unfortunately, Prince's strong summer showing didn't lead to regular-season results. The 24-year-old was only activated off the practice squad twice as a rookie and played all 15 of his snaps on special teams. He was also inactive throughout the postseason run, which doesn't exactly inspire confidence regarding his outlook.
Now, Prince is set to face an uphill battle once the 2024 training camp sessions begin. Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire are back to lead the backfield against while the Chiefs also brought in Keontay Ingram, who played 20 games for the Arizona Cardinals across the last two seasons. That's without mentioning how Prince must also compete with rookie RBs Louis Rees-Zammit and Carson Steele.
Prince is far from being a "bad" running back, however, it's clear that he might be facing more competition than he can handle. If he doesn't find a way to stand out above the pack, he might not even be lucky enough to return to Kansas City's practice squad.
5. Neil Farrell, DT
The Chiefs have one of the most stacked defensive lines in the NFL. While that's good news for their fans who love to watch Kansas City dominante, it's bad for a bubble defensive tackle like Neil Farrell.
Farrell, 25, was traded to the Chiefs last August after spending his rookie season with the rival Las Vegas Raiders. While he only played three games for Kansas City in the regular season, the ex-LSU Tiger made a pair of playoff appearances and even registered a broken-up pass with an assisted tackle.
Having said that, there's a chance that Farrell hasn't done enough to warrant a stay on the 53-man roster. While he's a decent defender to have, the Chiefs already have the likes of Chris Jones, Derrick Nnadi, Mike Pennel Jr., and Tershawn Wharton to lead the DT room going forward. There just isn't a real opening for the Mobile, AL native to crack the roster.
Farrell is still young enough to have a decent NFL career, so hopefully he gets the opportunity to do so elsewhere because it probably won't happen with the Chiefs.
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