Arrowheadlines: Skyy Moore is one of the winners of cutdown day

The latest

NFL roster cuts 2024: Winners, losers from deadline moves | USA Today

Skyy Moore

A second-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs once upon a time – aka 2022 – Moore has often garnered positive buzz but never really delivered the goods, catching just 43 passes in two seasons. Yet his roster bubble hasn't burst, even as the champs brought in veteran WR Hollywood Brown, drafted Xavier Worthy in Round 1 and even recycled Mecole Harman and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Moore's margin for error may be down to the nub, but the Chiefs clearly still think enough of him to carry seven wideouts.

Travis Kelce buys stake in racehorse with fitting name: Swift Delivery | The Athletic

Kelce and the Zoldan family, the owners of Phantom Fireworks, acquired a significant share of Team Valor's interest in the racehorse named Swift Delivery, Team Valor International founder and CEO Barry Irwin announced Tuesday.

Irwin told the Associated Press he met Kelce at the Kentucky Derby and they spoke about horses. He also shared with the AP that Swift Delivery was not named after Taylor Swift, calling it "a total coincidence."

"When this horse came to light and it was owned by one of my partners already, with the name I figured this has got to be a no-brainer," Irwin told the AP.

Five Things to Know About New Chiefs Edge Rusher Cameron Thomas | The Mothership

4. Thomas possesses the size and versatility to play off the edge and as an interior pass-rusher.

The 6-foot-5, 267-pound Thomas played all over the defensive line in college, recording significant snaps as an edge rusher and as an interior defensive lineman. He shifted to outside linebacker to fit within Arizona's 3-4 scheme in 2022, and he remained there in the Cardinals' multiple scheme last year, which still utilized stand-up pass-rushers.

It's worth noting that despite his primary role as a stand-up edge rusher, Arizona still deployed Thomas as an interior rusher on occasion, including during this year's preseason. One of those snaps, which featured Thomas as a stand-up, interior pass-rusher, resulted in a sack against Indianapolis.

Now a member of Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's 4-3 scheme, it's reasonable to assume that he'll return to his natural position as a versatile defensive end with his hand in the dirt. Additionally, considering Spagnuolo's tendency to utilize his defensive ends on the interior, it's likely Thomas will have an opportunity to earn snaps as an inside rusher, too.

Biggest Takeaways from Every NFL Team's Final 2024 Roster Cuts | Bleacher Report

The Kansas City Chiefs are capable of making mistakes.

During Kansas City's recent run—which has included three Super Bowl wins and six straight appearances in the AFC title game—the team hasn't had many clear missteps. However, the 2022 trade for Kadarius Toney was a rare miss.

The Chiefs sent a third-round draft pick to the New York Giants for Toney and did see some promising glimpses from the 2021 first-round pick early. He had a 65-yard punt return and a fourth-quarter go-ahead touchdown in Super Bowl LVII, and it briefly appeared that Kansas City would unlock Toney's potential where the Giants had failed.

However, Toney experienced a mistake-filled 2023 campaign and was ultimately made inactive for the final three regular-season games and the entire playoff run.

Louis Rees-Zammit fails to make Kansas City Chiefs roster | The Independent

The Welshman, who quit rugby union earlier this year, was officially waived by the back-to-back Superbowl champions ahead of the deadline on Tuesday evening.

The 23-year-old's NFL hopes have not been completely dashed.

He could be picked up by one of the other 31 teams or, if he remains unclaimed, be assigned a place on the Chiefs' practise squad.

NFL Rookie Rankings: Top Performers After 2024 Preseason Week 3 | Bleacher Report

Off the list

WR Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs: One big performance—even though it's a really exciting proposition for the Chiefs offense—isn't enough to crack the lineup for the entire preseason.

2024 NFL Power Rankings: Post-Preseason Rankings For Every Team | The 33rd Team

1. Kansas City Chiefs

Previous Ranking: 1

Did you really expect anyone else to take this spot? The back-to-back Super Bowl champions are ready to go for the 2024 season, and their upgraded wide receiver room should make this offense dominant again. But keep an eye on the secondary for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The loss of L'Jarius Snead could hold it back in big games.

Around the NFL

Rams trading Ernest Jones IV: L.A. dealing linebacker to Titans amid 2024 NFL roster cuts, per reports | CBS Sports

The Titans are sending a 2026 fifth-round draft pick to the Rams in exchange for Jones and a 2026 sixth-rounder, according to NFL Media.

Jones, 24, had been set to enter the final year of his rookie contract in Los Angeles, and received permission to seek a trade after extension talks broke down, per ESPN. The former third-round pick acknowledged earlier this offseason he was seeking a pay raise on a new deal, insisting he desired to stay with the Rams but noting "the business side" of negotiations could prompt a change of scenery.

His sudden departure is notable for the Rams defense, which also lost longtime star Aaron Donald to retirement this offseason. It also marks another big-name addition for Tennessee, which added veterans like L'Jarius Sneed, Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs to a rebuilt defense in free agency and into the summer.

Kickoff rule gets short discussion, no changes at ownership meeting | NBC Sports

Per multiple sources, the meeting included a brief presentation about the performance of the new kickoff formation during the preseason. Returns are up, injuries are down. And that was that.

The lack of any changes welcomes the very real risk that coaches will choose to kick through the end zone and let the ensuing drive begin at the 30. Which would make the outcome not much different than last year, where the kick return became a dead play.

Of course, even if that happens, drives will start closer to the end zone and field-goal range. Which means scoring likely will be up, with or without the touchback point changing.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs Roster: LB Drue Tranquill says defense is relying on continuity

Linebacker Drue Tranquill — now in his second year within defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's system — will be among those expected to step up. For him, things are easier this year.

"Last offseason in the OTAs, showing up here, I had no clue what was going on," Tranquill admitted to reporters on Monday. "All the verbiage — all the communication — took a second to learn. Once you understand conceptually what [Spagnuolo is] trying to do, you can piece things together and the game starts happening faster. [But] it's a lot at first."

The defense will be relying on the players' familiarity with the system. Among those projected to be regular contributors, rookie safety Jaden Hicks is the only first-year Kansas City player — and he can be eased in as the fourth safety on the depth chart.

"In terms of communication, when you have guys that have played together, it certainly makes it easier," explained Tranquill. "You see it at every level in every sport: when guys are new together, there are growing pains that happen. We're grateful to be returning a lot of guys on defense."

Social media to make you think Follow Arrowhead Pride on Social Media