1. Left tackle Josh Simmons
This was the easiet choice on the list. During the offseason, most of the attention focused on the Chiefs was about whether Simmons would play — and what he would look like if he did. So far, he’s passed every test. He looks healthy, explosive and ready to go. Now we need to find out just how good he’s already become. His preseason film has looked fantastic, but it’ll obviously be much more challenging when the season starts. Is he already an elite tackle, or will he have some rookie struggles? Watching where he lands on that scale will be interesting.
2. Wide receiver Rashee Rice
Even without his six-game suspension to begin the season, there are a lot of angles about Rice that will make him intriguing in 2025. Coming off his injury, what kind of player will he be? After all, we don’t even know the level from which he is starting. Rice’s stats to begin 2024 were definitely on an All-Pro trajectory, but it was also just a three-game sample. Is that the caliber of player he will be over a longer stretch? There’s little doubt that Rice’s return will be helpful to the offense, but it’ll be interesting to see whether he’s truly an elite player.
It’s possible that safety Justin Reid’s importance to the Kansas City defense wasn’t fully understood. He wasn’t a superstar, but he did fill a valuable role in coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme. One of the league’s better tacklers, he was very good in run support — and could help defend tight ends in man coverage. He was a great blitzer, too. Reid could do many things in a defense that requires versatility from its safeties.
After his departure, the Chiefs don’t have a lot of talent at safety. While Bryan Cook and Chamarri Conner are fine, neither are as physically talented as Reid. But before he was drafted in 2024, I comped Hicks to Reid — and I think he’s the man to take Reid’s place. He has the length and closing speed to be good in run support. To get Hicks to work, I don’t think the team needs to tweak its scheme, but he does have to prove he can fill that valuable safety spot.
4. Left guard Kingsley Suamataia
At left guard, Kansas City is replacing one of the NFL’s best from the last decade: Joe Thuney, who was always available and extremely consistent. His absence leaves a big question mark.
Going into his second season, Suamataia holds the starting job. I don’t feel great about that — but I do see flashes from him. In the running game, watching him and Josh Simmons move in space can look amazing. But Suamataia has many shaky moments in pass protection. He’s often slow off the ball — and late to engage (and win) with his hands.
If the Chiefs are truly committed to him at guard, it feels like it’s going to be a roller coaster ride. In some weeks, he’ll pop. In others, he’ll be a nightmare. Trying to find the equilibrium (and hopefully, some growth) as he gains experience will be fascinating to track. The Chiefs don’t have a lot of depth behind Suamataia. He’d better deliver.
5. Running back Isiah Pacheco
During the offseason, Kansas City did very little to address its running back group, which was less than ideal in 2024. While Kareem Hunt was admirable as a short-yardage back behind Pacheco, a lack of big plays in the running game hurt the team’s offensive efficiency. The Chiefs hope that getting Pacheco fully healthy will help fix things. Pacheco has never been my favorite, but he’s clearly the best combination of speed and size Kansas City has at the position. For the Chiefs to have a better running game this season, he needs to have a career year. The good news is that it’s a contract year for Pacheco, so I’m interested to see how he performs.
6. Defensive end George Karlaftis
Now that Karlaftis has been paid, we know he’s going to be around. But I’m intrigued to see if he has another leap in him. Is he going to stick as a high-quality starter, or could he be a legitimate No. 2 pass rusher on a great defense? As it stands, Karlaftis is great as the team’s third-best defensive lineman. If he can move up to No. 2, that would be great.
7. Cornerback Kristian Fulton
I’m a little worried about the Chiefs’ cornerback depth. If Fulton (or Jaylen Watson) get hurt, Kansas City will have to move Trent McDuffie outside and play rookie Nohl Williams (or Nazeeh Johnson, who is now on Reserve/Injured) inside. With Fulton’s injury history, I don’t feel great about that. Fulton is a good player when he’s healthy, but the Chiefs need to make sure he can get to the finish line.
8. Wide receiver Xavier Worthy
I’m mostly interested to see Worthy’s role in the offense when Rice is available, because we hardly saw what that could look like last year. When Rice returns, do we see Worthy become more of a downfield player, or will the Chiefs prefer to use him the way they did at the end of 2024? Over a larger sample, how the offense orbits around Rice will be interesting.
9. Defensive end Ashton Gillotte
With the news that Felix Anudike-Uzomah is out for the season, there is no competition for Gillotte to be the fourth defensive end. He’s going to get snaps at a position where the Chiefs need more help — both now and in the future. One of the core weaknesses of last year’s team was its lack of a secondary pass rush. Hopefully, Gillotte can help there.
10. Defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott
Like with Gillotte, there isn’t a lot of proven depth keeping Norman-Lott from playing time; as a second-round pick, he should get opportunities. I’m just intrigued to see if he can transition his high-impact, low-volume production in Tennessee into the NFL. With the Volunteers, Norman-Lott’s best was very good — but it came in 10-snap packages. Can he do more? Taking him in the second round was a risk — but if he ties it together, general manager Brett Veach will look like a genius.