The Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl LVIII victory is firmly in the rearview mirror now that this year's training camp is right around the corner. It's an exciting time to be a Chiefs fan as head coach Andy Reid's staff weeds out the roster pretenders from the contenders, hoping to walk away with the best 53-man group possible to chase a third consecutive championship.
Some players — like Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones — will enter training camp without a worry as their roster spots are more than secure. Not every Chiefs player has that luxury, though, as some individuals will be fighting just for the chance to be considered for a backup role.
With that in mind, here are six Chiefs who are fighting for their jobs in training camp 2024.
1. Deneric Prince, RB
The top of the Chiefs' backfield will be unchanged from last year as Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire are both returning to lead the charge. The pair formed a reliable tandem in 2023 as they combined for 1,158 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 275 total carries.
Second-year RB Deneric Prince is also set to return, however, his roster spot is less than secure.
Prince, 24, joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL Draft. The former Tulsa rusher garned attention during the preseason by turning 22 carries into 79 rushing yards and a touchdown, earning himself a spot on Kansas City's practice squad for the regular season. Even though he was activated twice, he played all 15 of his snaps on special teams.
While some Chiefs fans were ready for Prince to see an expanded role, he has some competition in his way. For starters, Kansas City also brought back Keaontay Ingram, who tallied 181 scrimmages yards and a touchdown with the Arizona Cardinals across the two previous seasons.
Secondly, there's also rugby-turned-football player Louis Rees-Zammit, who's slated to compete for the RB3 spot, per The Athletic's Nate Taylor. Taking the NFL's new kickoff rules into account, it's easy to see why the Welsh product might have an edge in this competition.
Unless he shows at training camp that he can be No. 3 on the RB pecking order, Prince might spend next season on the practice squad again (or with another organization entirely).
2. Ian Book, QB
Ian Book has been with the Chiefs since signing a reserve contract with the franchise back in January. The hope at the time was that the 26-year-old could potentially replace the aging Blaine Gabbert as Kansas City's backup quarterback next season or at least compete for the role.
Fast forward to July and it's possible that the ex-Notre Dame signal-caller won't even be with the team come Week 1.
Standing in Book's way are Carson Wentz and Chris Oladokun. It's unlikely that the fourth-year pro will usurp Wentz — a former NFL MVP finalist and Super Bowl Champion — who did nothing but impress the coaching staff during this offseason's earlier workouts. And while Oladokun has less experience than Book, the former has been with the team since he was drafted 241st overall in 2022 and is more familiar with Reid's staff than the latter.
It also isn't as if Book has that much of an NFL track record to justify a spot on the roster. He made one start for the New Orleans Saints in 2021, completing just 12-of-20 attempts (60.0%) for 135 yards and a pair of interceptions while being sacked eight times.
In other words, Book has a lot to prove regarding his belonging in the NFL. His road to a secure spot will continue being rocky if he doesn't hit the ground running at training camp.
3. Justyn Ross, WR
The Chiefs' wide receiver room is a lot more packed this summer compared to last year. While elevated competition is always a good thing, roster spots are limited and that means that certain players will be left heartbroken, with Justyn Ross being one of the top candidates.
Ross is one of those players who could be a stud, however, injuries and off-field issues have prevented him from reaching those heights. He missed his entire rookie season with a foot injury before missing six games last season due to a suspension.
Unfortunately, Ross hardly turned heads in the limited 2023 appearances he made. He was targeted just 11 times across 136 offensive snaps, hauling in only six balls (54.5%) for 53 yards without a touchdown. He also had two drops and only yielded a 67.6 passer rating when targeted, emphasizing just how unreliable he was when Patrick Mahomes looked his way.
Ross benefited from a weaker WR room last summer, but that isn't the case anymore. While Rashee Rice, Marquise Brown, and Xavier Worthy make up the top of the order, Ross now has to overcome a group that features Kadarius Toney, Mecole Hardman, Justin Watson, Skyy Moore, and Nikko Remigio. It's likely going to be too much for the oft-injured wideout to handle.
Seeing Ross stay healthy and reach his potential would be a wonderful thing, however, that's unlikely to happen in Kansas City.
4. Kadarius Toney, WR
Sticking with the WR group, Kadarius Toney is another pass-catcher whose job is in jeopardy with training camp right around the corner.
If Toney kept his head straight and stayed healthy, he could easily be one of the better wide receivers in the NFL. He boasts a terrific combination of speed and size, however, it's his off-field antics and frequent trips to the injured reserve that have become his worst enemies.
The Chiefs acquired Toney in 2022 with the hope that he could form a dynamic duo with Mahomes, but that hasn't been the case. The former Florida playmaker has only made 41 receptions for 340 yards and three touchdowns in 20 games across the last two seasons. For comparison, made the same number of catches for 420 receiving yards in his 12 games with the New York Giants.
The fact that Toney had better production with Daniel Jones over Mahomes is enough for Chiefs fans to be ready to move on from the former.
With no signs of improvement, Toney could be cut if he doesn't take some major leaps in training camp. As mentioned on the last slide, the Chiefs have plenty of wideouts this offseason who are hungry for a bigger role.
If the ex-2021 first-round selection isn't ready to step up, his only other option is to step aside.
5. Neil Farrell, DT
When it comes to Kansas City's defensive line, Neil Farrell is one of the top cut candidates at this year's training camp.
Even though Farrell is one of the many players returning from last year's roster, he didn't do much to soldify a spot in Andy Reid's plans. He only played three games in a Chiefs jersey after being acquired from the Las Vegas Raiders in August, recording just one solo tackle as well as a broken-up pass. He did wind up playing in a pair of postseason contests but didn't do anything outside of breaking up another pass.
Farrell's only 25 years old, so he could have some great playing days ahead of him. At the same time, the former 2022 fourth-rounder hasn't proven anything that shows that he can be special. He's likely to be a backup defensive tackle for the majority of his NFL career, which isn't the type of player the Chiefs need given how stacked the D-line currently is.
Would it be great if Farrell impresses the staff and fans alike throughout the next few weeks? Of course because more competition is never a bad thing. At the same time, recent history suggests that the ex-LSU defender might not get better than he is, making his backup job less than secure this summer.
6. Lucas Niang, OT
It's been four years since he was drafted 96th overall and Chiefs fans are still wondering if Lucas Niang possesses anything better than he's shown.
Niang, 25, has taken the Kansas City fanbase on a rollercoaster ride. After sitting out of the entire 2020 season due to COVID-19, former TCU blocker took on a significant role in the following year as he started in nine of his 12 appearances. He handled his assignments well, playing to 70.0 run block and 59.1 pass block grades, per Pro Football Focus.
But much to his dismay, Niang's play has declined since his first season. He's played just 37 passing downs across the last two seasons compared to 360 in 2021 allowing five pressures. Even if that's a small sample size, allowing a pressure every seven or so snaps is never a positive thing.
Niang's uphill claim only became steeper with the Chiefs adding promising rookie offensive linemen Kingsley Suamataia, Hunter Nourzad, and C.J. Hanson through the 2024 NFL Draft. That's without mentioning how the 6-foot-8, 313-pound Ethan Driskell and international project Chukwuebuka Godrick also won't make the ex-Horned Frog's life any easier.
Niang showed potential early in his career, but any signs of promise have been buried by underwhelming performances. Time will tell if he has what it takes to reverse that perception, but I won't hold my breath.
More Kansas City Chiefs News: