Arrowheadlines: Jaylen Watson is the Chiefs’ trade bait

The latest

Trade bait! One player from all 32 teams who could be dealt around the NFL Draft | FOX Sports

Kansas City Chiefs: CB Jaylen Watson

The former seventh-rounder had emerged as a starting corner for Kansas City last year before a broken ankle cost him half the season. He did return for the playoffs and even started in the Super Bowl, so his health isn’t a concern. But this offseason, the Chiefs signed cornerback Kristian Fulton, and next year they’re going to have to pay All-Pro corner Trent McDuffie at least $13 million on his fifth-year option. Watson will be a free agent, too, and they’re not likely to pay three corners. He’s only 27, so his value is still high because corners with his talent can be hard to find.

12th-Annual GEHA Field at Arrowhead 5K Returns on Saturday, June 7, With This Year’s Theme ‘Run This Kingdom’ | The Mothership

Participants will make their way through the parking lots surrounding both GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium before entering the home of the Chiefs to race through the concourse, the Hall of Honor, and finish on Chiefs Way. Along the route, they’ll encounter a vibrant mix of captivating Chiefs fun fact signs and dynamic interactive stations, including towering 12-foot-tall Vince Lombardi Trophies, large Super Bowl rings and a giant Patrick Mahomes bobblehead. These eye-catching displays will keep the energy high and make every step of the journey feel like an exhilarating adventure, immersing fans in the excitement of Chiefs history and iconic moments.

The 1K run/walk, for those 12 years and younger, will kick off at 8 a.m., with the 5K race following in multiple waves beginning at 8:15 a.m. This year’s event also welcomes a surprise addition: a Diaper Dash that will be capped at 100 participants and is only open to Missouri and Kansas residents. The Diaper Dash will take place at 9:30 a.m. in Lot M.

Will Noah Gray Be the Chiefs’ Next Travis Kelce? | SI

Gray has turned out to be a steal for the Chiefs after getting drafted in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Since donning the Chiefs uniform, Gray has improved each season and has given quarterback Patrick Mahomes much to celebrate when tossing the ball his way.

“He does everything the right way, and he’s learned a ton from [Travis Kelce], and so he knows how to kind of work within the rules of the offense and get himself open, and he’s just a guy that’s going to be in the right spot,’’ Mahomes said. “As a quarterback, if you’re going to give him the football, he’s going to make the play happen.

Gray doesn’t need to be the next Kelce if he can continue being the successful Noah Gray. Last season, in a full 17 games played, Gray collected 437 receiving yards (career high), scored five touchdowns (career high), and fielded 25 first downs (you guessed it, career high).

2025 NFL All-Trades Mock Draft: 32 Deals for 32 Teams | SI

21. Kansas City Chiefs: Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss

The deal: Steelers trade No. 21 (261) and No. 185 (6) to Chiefs for No. 31 (190) and No. 66 (76)

Kansas City has a history of moving around the draft board under general manager Brett Veach, and the AFC champs move up 10 slots to land Nolen out of Ole Miss. Nolen stands 6’4” and 296 pounds, and can play both inside with the occasional move outside. He was an All-American last season with 6.5 sacks, giving him 10.5 over the past two campaigns.

NFL draft quarterbacks: Ranking all 32 teams’ need at position in 2025 | USA Today

31. Kansas City Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes will turn 30 in September, but he’s hardly slipping … even if his dynastic organization fell and couldn’t quite get up during its most recent Super Bowl appearance. Still, with Gardner Minshew II the latest veteran to rotate into the understudy role – with fellow twentysomethings Bailey Zappe and Chris Oladokun behind him – little reason for a franchise with several other gaps to plug to invest further behind center in 2025.

Around the NFL

Aaron Rodgers, as expected, didn’t show up at Pat McAfee’s Pittsburgh event | NBC Sports

Rodgers, who makes weekly in-season appearances on Pat McAfee’s show, could have shown up at McAfee’s live event in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night and announced to Steelers fans and the rest of the world that Rodgers is signing with the Steelers.

It didn’t happen. Regardless of whether such a move fits with Rodgers’s overall style (especially at a time when many were thinking it might happen), the easy answer seems to be that Rodgers still isn’t ready to make the commitment.

And that will spark speculation that Rodgers continues to wait for the Vikings to decide, if they do, that they should pivot to Rodgers for 2025.

Until we know what’s going to happen, we wait. The draft could yield some clues. It’s possible no answer will come until training camp opens.

Browns’ Deshaun Watson on injury: ‘I believe in myself’ | ESPN

But he seemingly had a message for anyone questioning if he’ll be able to return from the latest setback in his career.

In a video posted to Instagram on Wednesday, which documents his rehab at the Browns’ practice facility, Watson said, “Everyone’s doubting me. Everyone don’t believe in me. Everyone don’t think that I can get back to where I was. But I know and I believe the work that I put in, what I believe in myself. The peace that I’ve been channeling these last couple months, I know I’m going to be way better than before.”

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs Draft: South Carolina’s T.J. Sanders could be a fit for KC

Background

Coming out of high school, Sanders was a three-star recruit. His recruiting profile had him listed at 6-5 and 275 lbs., which is more of a defensive end body type. Sanders had some decent Power 5 offers from Indiana, Tennessee, South Carolina and Duke — but nothing from the elite programs. Sanders ended up choosing South Carolina, where he played four years.

Sanders would redshirt his freshman season and not play much his first two seasons, but he’s been a breakout over the past two years. In 2023, the flashes of pass-rush potential started to show. In 260 pass-rush snaps, Sanders had 27 pressures and five sacks — a solid 10.4% pressure rate, which is good for a 20-year-old.

His best season was last year. Sanders had 255 pass rush reps in 2024 and increased his pressures to 33 with five sacks again — a 12.9% pressure rate. Sanders was voted second-team All-SEC by the Associated Press and won the College Football Network’s SEC Interior Defender of the Year award.

Sanders is more of a pass rusher than a run defender. In 2023, he played 211 run snaps vs. 260 pass rush snaps. In 2024, it was 212 run snaps vs. 255 pass rush snaps. Sanders had his usage limited on early downs and then would come in on third downs and wreak havoc.

Sanders came in at the Combine at 6’3 7/8” and 297 lbs with over 33-inch arms — good numbers for a player thought to be undersized. His 4.95 40-yard dash with a 1.67 10-yard split are great numbers. A 31.5” vertical jump with a 9’4 broad jump are strong explosiveness scores. I thought Sanders might do a bit better in the agility, but his agility times were still solid.