According to Parson, Allen is a “savvy route-runner and space-creator with deceptive tendencies to separate from man coverage” and a “smooth mover with easy hip sinkage out of his breaks.” He presents a “great release package with a variety of moves to win cleanly and elude DBs in press coverage, with a strong understanding of how to win quickly with tempo.”
Despite not being invited to this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, Allen already showed the traits to be an effective slot receiver thanks to his short-area quickness, ability to accelerate and fearlessness working the middle of the field.
The Chiefs lost two key receivers from last year’s roster, as JuJu Smith-Schuster and Hollywood Brown are no longer with the team. While both Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice can be effective from the slot, Allen’s presence should allow the Chiefs to deploy those two in different roles.
Furthermore, Rice shouldn’t be viewed as a reliable option after being ordered to serve 30 days in jail for violating probation.
The Chiefs understand the ongoing uncertainty surrounding their wide receivers and have built-in expectations for Allen despite being a fifth-round draft pick.
“I think he’s (Cyrus Allen) a guy that probably more predominantly lights up the inside for us, in more of a slot type of receiver, but (he) does have the ability to win at the line of scrimmage on the outside,” area scout Cassidy Kaminski told reporters. “So, I think he comes in and provides some of that ability as a slot guy right away with some of those traits to possibly translate outside.”
“What are the Chiefs trying to do here? Let’s look at what the Chiefs are trying to do,” Jones-Drew explained. “They’re trying to get back to capture the line of scrimmage. They got away from running the ball way too much, right? So, you go get Kenneth Walker, you bring him in, and Kenneth Walker had a great year last year, the only year he’s been healthy in his career, though, right? And so you need to have a secondary guy that matches what he can do.”
Are they the same players? No, they’re not. However, there are enough similarities in their game that you’re not at a disadvantage when either player is in the game.
“Now, Kenneth Walker’s way faster, more explosive, I would say, than Emmett Johnson,” Jones-Drew continued. “But Emmett Johnson can catch the ball like Kenneth Walker out of the backfield. He can run every run scheme like him, and again, you want to talk about tread on the tires, he really didn’t play until two years ago, like halfway through the season he started playing… When you have no tread on the tires, it’s also like painting a wall. When you paint a wall, like sometimes you get these houses, someone’s lived in the house, right? So, you’ve got to go and fix it and change the house to the way you want it. Well, when you buy a new construction, I don’t got to do anything right. I can make that house mine. When you have less tread on your tires, you don’t have to undo as much as what other guys have when they played so much, right? Because, again, success is not always a good thing. Sometimes you have bad habits, and you’re successful with bad habits. When I spoke to (Eric Bieniemy), when I spoke to Emmett, like I thought this was a great fit. You’re going to have a guy that’s going to be able to do all these things that you’re looking for, right? While Mahomes is getting better.”
Kansas City’s defense could define the club’s short-term ceiling
The prized pickup of the Chiefs’ offseason is running back Kenneth Walker. Make no mistake: Walker will help transform the rushing attack, even if some others can help maximize his skill set. With a lack of activity at other skill positions, though, the focus truly comes into play on defense.
Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s secondary will look vastly different from 2025’s group, as two starting cornerbacks and a safety left town. In is a first-round NFL Draft selection in Mansoor Delane, as well as a Day 3 slot option in Jadon Canady.
Veach invested up front, too, with the acquisitions of tackle Peter Woods and defensive end R Mason Thomas. It’s clear that if the two-year rebuild buzz is real, this was the year for defense. Kansas City is getting younger, more athletic and more versatile on that side.
How quickly things jell — and if they do — could determine the immediate team ceiling.
Simmons looked impressive in the half-season he played. In eight games, Simmons allowed just two sacks, 18 pressures, and 14 hurries while playing 525 offensive snaps.
The problem was Simmons left Chiefs fans wanting more given he missed nine games in the middle of the year due to mysterious personal reasons.
But things seem to be looking up for Simmons this offseason. The 23-year-old left tackle has spent a lot of time in the gym, and a photo of him with a more bulked up physique made its way to social media.
The 6-foot-5 Simmons looks noticeably slimmer than the 310 pounds he played at last year.
At 6’6″ and 258 pounds, Vincent Anthony looks the part of an NFL edge-rusher.
And as Caleb James wrote for Arrowhead Pride, he brings some upside to a Chiefs team that can use help on the edge:
“His body type makes him difficult to block on pass rush downs. His game needs much refinement and work, but he does have a few pass-rush moves he has shown he can use when rushing off the edge. His go-to move off the edge is a rip, and it is where he maximizes his long limbs while not being as stiff as the typical defensive end with his frame. He can create separation from himself and the tackle, while also getting low enough and staying balanced enough to bend the arc.”
Anthony’s play strength and run defense both need quite a bit of work, but his size and athleticism off the edge make him the kind of project type worth investing in.
Over the last three games of his third straight Pro Bowl campaign in 2025, Smith was moved to left tackle. Having played his preferred guard and tackle in three of his four seasons, the question begs as to just where he’ll be lining up come kickoff for 2026?
“We had great conversations about it,” Smith said recently, via the team website, of where he’ll be playing. “I have an understanding of what it is. That’s the most I can ask for is to just have that understanding early on. Obviously, I’ve got the utmost faith that we’re going to go out there and we’re going to do what we’re going to do.”
Judging by the satisfactory nature of Smith’s words, one could guess he’ll be starting at left guard, where he prefers. However, he’s always proven himself to be a team-first player.
As a rookie in 2022, Smith was called on to debut as left tackle, where he played 1,022 snaps to just 121 at guard as Tyron Smith was sidelined for most of the year with an injury.
Tyler Smith’s second season was his only year in which he played solely at left guard.
Manziel, 33, dominated social media influencer Bob Menery, 38, in a first-round stoppage victory Saturday night at the UFC Apex Center in Las Vegas.
Manziel showed off some skills as a fighter, landing kicks to the body and scoring a takedown, and he was landing hard strikes from full mount when the referee waved the fight off at 2 minutes, 16 seconds.
He said afterward that he probably wouldn’t fight again after Saturday.
“This was good enough for one time,” Manziel said.
A very Chiefs-relevant fallen hero will always be Captain Robert James Thomas of the United States Air Force — a B-52 pilot and the father of the late star linebacker Derrick Thomas. Captain Thomas died on a 1972 mission in Vietnam when the future Kansas City great was only five years old.
