5 Chiefs Playing for Their Job in Preseason Week 1

The Kansas City Chiefs will begin their preseason slate when they pay a visit to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday. It's been six months since Chiefs fans watched Patrick Mahomes & Co. hoist the Lombardi Trophy, so it'll be nice to finally get some action (even if it's only an exhibition contest).

The NFL preseason — especially the first game — is important for players sitting on the roster bubble. Even though the 53-man roster deadline isn't until Aug. 27, players must do their best to impress Andy Reid's coaching staff as soon as possible or risk being given the early axe.

With that in mind, here are five Chiefs who are playing for their jobs against the Jaguars this weekend.

1. Ian Book, QB

With Patrick Mahomes and Carson Wentz beginning the 2024 season as Kansas City's top two quarterbacks, Ian Book is left to compete with Chris Oladokun for the QB3 job. The former Notre Dame signal-caller was signed to a futures contract back in January following failed stints with the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, and Philadelphia Eagles.

Book, 26, is still young enough to have a future ahead of him, but he hasn't done a good job at convincing anyone of that this offseason. He hasn't done much to garner attention whether that was during OTAs or training camp, which isn't good for his outlook given that it isn't as if he has any history with the Chiefs to secure him a roster spot.

Mahomes and Wentz have nothing to prove, meaning that Book and Oladokun will see the brunt of QB snaps this preseason. In other words, Book must make the most of any opportunities given to him. The El Dorado Hills, CA native only has only started in one career NFL game, completing 60.0% of passes for 135 yards with two interceptions in a 20-3 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 16 of the 2021 season.

If Book showcases some serious improvements against the Jaguars, he should remain in the QB3 competition. If not, he might be looking for a new franchise to join in the near future.

2. Nikko Remigio, WR

While the No. 1-3 spots on the Chiefs' wideout depth chart are set, the situation beyond Xavier Worthy, Marquise Brown, and Rashee Rice is fluid. Someone like second-year receiver Nikko Reimigio will be competing for the remaining spots, leaving time to tell if he's ready to carve out a role in the Mahomes-led attack.

Reimigio has been with the Chiefs since he went undrafted at the 2023 NFL Draft. He only made one appearance with Kansas City last preseason and it was good enough to impress the fanbase as he caught four receptions for 71 receiving yards and three first downs.

Unfortunately, the ex-Fresno State playmaker couldn't bring his momentum into the regular season as he missed his entire rookie year with a shoulder injury.

The good news is that Remigio has bounced back in spades this summer. Fueled by motivation stemming from his missing the Chiefs' Super Bowl run, the former Bulldog has been impressing his coaches and teammates throughout practice, whether that's been due to his connection with the QBs or as a kick returner.

The upcoming preseason tilt against the Jaguars will give Reimigio a chance the prove that he belongs in the NFL. If he can show that his training camp highlights can translate to in-game success, he could lock up his roster spot as early as Saturday.

3. Keaontay Ingram, RB

The Chiefs added several veteran free agents this offseason, including former Arizona Cardinals running back Keaontay Ingram.

Ingram is one of five RBs who's competing for the No. 3 spot behind Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Louis Rees-Zammit, Carson Steele, Emani Bailey, and Deneric Prince are either rookies or in their second NFL campaign, meaning that (in theory) Ingram should have an edge over the bunch due to experience.

However, it might take more for the former Texas/USC product to lock down a roster spot.

Even though Ingram has played more NFL games than the competition, let's not act like he's balling out on the gridiron. The 24-year-old rusher only averaged 2.2 rushing yards on 62 carries across the last two seasons, finding the end zone on just one of those opportunities. That just isn't going to look attractive to any head coach.

Ingram's standing in the lineup has only slipped now that Prince is having a strong start to training camp. With the ex-Tulsa rusher now seeing time with Kansas City's first offensive team, it's clear that Ingram must have a strong preseason performance if he doesn't want to fall out of head coach Reid's favor.

4. Lucas Niang, OL

It's been over four years since the Chiefs drafted Lucas Niang with the 2020 draft's 96th overall pick and it's safe to say that his career has been a rollercoaster thus far.

After sitting out of his rookie season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Niang immediately became a big part of the Chiefs' offensive line, starting in nine of his dozen 2021 appearances. Although his first taste of professional action didn't go horribly, the former TCU blocker appears to have fallen out of the coaching staff's favor.

Niang has played just 21 games without a start in the last two seasons. He's played just 67 snaps on offense compared to 95 on special teams during that stretch, further illustrating that he's done nothing to work his way back into a starting role.

Unfortunately, it isn't as if the 25-year-old offensive lineman has made the most of his limited opportunities. According to Pro Football Focus, Niang has surrendered five pressures while taking a penalty across 37 passing downs in the last two seasons. In other words, he's allowing a defender to get at Mahomes once every seven snaps, which is inexcusable.

Niang has been busy this offseason as the Chiefs staff has been deploying him both as a tackle and a guard. He'll need to stand out at either position during the preseason if he wants to convince the coaches (and fans) that he deserves to be a part of a potential three-peat, though.

Niang is still young enough to stick around for a long time, so let's hope he can realize his potential as early as the first exhibition game.

5. Kelvin Joseph, CB

Kelvin Joseph's future appeared to be bright when he was drafted 44th overall by the Dallas Cowboys in 2021. He was coming off a pair of solid campaigns at Kentucky and all signs pointed to him being an NFL cornerback one day.

Much to his dismay, Joseph's career hasn't gone as planned. After underwhelming 2021 and 2022 performances, the Cowboys traded the former Wildcat to the Miami Dolphins last summer. He ended up being released in November and even experienced a failed stint with the Seattle Seahawks before signing a futures contract with the Chiefs in January.

By the time the 2023 season ended, Joseph finished with just three solo tackles in five games.

The 24-year-old defender was enjoying a decent 2024 training camp before missing Friday's practice with a hamstring injury. If it's a minor issue, there isn't much to worry about. However, if it isn't and Joseph is forced to miss more practices, his spot in Kansas City's secondary could be in jeopardy.

In other words, having a strong preseason debut is crucial if Joseph wants to be a part of one of the league's top defenses this fall.

More Kansas City Chiefs News: