Chiefs Studios Features: Chiefs Tight End makes All-21st Century team

Byron Hetzler-




Chiefs headlines for Thursday, July 18

The latest




Picking NFL’s 21st Century All-Star Team | Bleacher Report



TE: Tony Gonzalez


This is actually a pretty interesting battle between Gonzalez, Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce, but I think recency bias gives the latter two a little too much credit. Gonzalez was a first-team All-Pro five times (compared to four for the other two guys) and his 14 Pro Bowl nods ranks second in league history (behind only Brady).



NFL season is 50 days away: 50 under-the-radar players who could shape the 2024 season | CBS Sports


20. Wanya Morris (LT), Chiefs: Protecting Patrick Mahomes’ blind side is no small task, and this year, it seems like it will fall to Morris. He hardly played in his rookie season, but when he did play, it wasn’t pretty: His 9% pressure rate allowed was 12th highest among 195 players who had at least 100 pass-blocking snaps. The Chiefs could yet sign a veteran — last year’s starter, Donovan Smith, is still available — but for now, Morris is the guy.


Every NFL Team’s Best Quarterback In Team History | The 33rd Team



KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: PATRICK MAHOMES


The Kansas City Chiefs have six quarterbacks who started at least 76 games, so they have more competition than most franchises for its top billing. Len Dawson was the undisputed best QB of their history until Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes, who has started 87 fewer games than Dawson, will surpass Dawson’s passing yardage and touchdown records this fall.


Turning 29 this September and already with two All-Pro nominations and three Super Bowl rings, Mahomes is setting himself up to challenge for the title of best quarterback of all time. He might not reach Brady’s seven rings, but his rare talent, timely playmaking, and ability to adjust on the fly have put him on a similar path as Brady.



Ranking 2024 NFL quarterbacks by tiers: C.J. Stroud, Jordan Love could threaten to join top tier of QBs | CBS Sports



Tier 1: The Big Three


2024: Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen


Like last year, Mahomes could warrant his own category, a “One of One” type of designation for the two-time reigning Super Bowl champ. I think Allen and Lamar are close enough to warrant being included. Joe Burrow was in this category last year and I don’t have a problem with Joe Cool remaining as a top-tier QB option, but he needs to stay healthy for a full season. We’re going into Year 5 of Burrow’s career and he’s been extremely banged up almost every season. Hopefully they’re fluke-ish injuries and not a trend. Lamar’s second MVP last season should shut up all the foolish critics who didn’t think he belonged among the elite of the elite when it comes to QBs. Allen is now heading into the criticism cycle after another year of falling short of the Super Bowl. It’s hard to get there and it’s even harder when Mahomes/Andy Reid are busy ripping off a dynasty in your conference. With Stefon Diggs traded, it could be Allen’s turn to show what he can do without his No. 1 wideout.



Top 30 NFL players over 30 entering 2024 season: Tyreek Hill, Trent Williams, Chris Jones lead rankings | NFL.com



3 - Chris Jones


Kansas City Chiefs · DT · Age 30


Bhanpuri: Jones is arguably the No. 1 interior defensive lineman in football — regardless of age. As the undeniable linchpin of the Chiefs’ defense, the two-time first-team All-Pro and three-time Super Bowl champ has led (or co-led) the unit in sacks in each of the previous six seasons. Few humans on the planet possess Jones’ mixture of size and quickness — a brutal combination that has been embarrassing grown men on national television for years. Seems wholly unfair to be 6-foot-6, 310 pounds and be as quick off the ball as Aidan Hutchinson (both averaged .81 seconds per get-off in 2023, per NGS), who’s 40 pounds lighter. Jones commands a pretty penny in large part because he always seems to perform his best on the biggest stage. As special as Patrick Mahomes has been, without No. 95 on the other side, we’re not using “Kansas City” and “dynasty” in the same sentence right now.



Andy Reid: Patrick Mahomes is always going to work and always wants more from coaches | NBC Sports



Yet, even after winning the last two Super Bowls, Mahomes is still plenty hungry to improve, head coach Andy Reid said this week.


“The one great thing about Patrick is that he’s always going to work at his game and then he always wants more,” Reid said during his Tuesday press conference. “And so, as coaches, you can’t ask for more than that. That’s why we’re in it. We’re trying to give you one more nugget so you can be greater than you already are.



Around the NFL




Davante Adams ‘locked in with’ Raiders, but if he were to be ‘reunited with anybody, it would be Aaron’ Rodgers | NFL.com



Appearing on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, which dropped Wednesday, Adams emphasized his commitment to the Raiders, piggybacking off previous statements last week that he’s satisfied with head coach Antonio Pierce running the team full-time now.


“I’m actively on the Raiders. What do I look like sitting here talking to other people about being on another team? And that’s how I still feel about it right now,” Adams said. “I’m locked in with the Raiders, and I really feel good about this team, and as far as I know they feel good about me.


“If that ever changes, if that got to a point where they weren’t feeling the same way, I ain’t done playing, so obviously we would figure out whatever we needed to figure out.”



Jordan Love plans to help Packers RB Josh Jacobs avoid TD-less NFL record | NFL.com



Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs is on the verge of setting an NFL record he’d rather avoid.


The veteran running back has caught 197 passes in his five-year NFL career but scored zero touchdowns. If he snags five more passes without hitting pay dirt, Jacobs would break former running back Gerald Riggs’ record of 201 catches without a receiving touchdown. A three-time Pro Bowler, Riggs played seven seasons with the Atlanta Falcons (1982-1987) and three with Washington (1989-1991), where he won a Super Bowl in his final season.


Jacobs and Riggs are the only two players in NFL history with more than 150 career catches without a touchdown.



In case you missed it on Chiefs Studios




Chiefs Roster: What is the best position for Trent McDuffie to play?



The former first-round pick is a rare find. Coming out of Washington, there was no doubt McDuffie had terrific talent; his college film demonstrated he was easily worth a first-round grade — and at the NFL Scouting Combine, he passed his athletic tests.


The only reason McDuffie wasn’t a surefire top-15 pick was the concern about his length: his 29 3/4-inch arms rank in the 5th percentile. A first-round pick hadn’t been used for a cornerback with arms shorter than 30 inches since Kareem Jackson was taken in 2010.


Could an NFL cornerback with so little length play on the outside? If he could only play in the slot, would he be worth a first-round investment? The Chiefs ultimately decided he was worth the risk, trading third and fourth-round picks to move up eight spots to get him.


McDuffie quickly showed that Kansas City had made the right call. While a Week 1 hamstring injury kept him out of the next seven weeks, he was then able to prove that his speed, ball skills and route recognition allowed him to play without elite length. He also demonstrated the ability to play through the hands of opposing receivers.



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