Kansas City

Chiefs

This one felt inevitable. Over the last month, Buggs has been charged with misdemeanor cruelty to dogs in the second degree and was arrested last week on domestic violence and burglary charges. The sixth-year pro never played a regular-season game with the Chiefs and is unlikely to see action anytime soon as he sorts out these legal issues. Buggs played in 10 games for the Lions last season before being released, totaling 12 tackles, two TFLs, and one sack. Buggs remains in jail after last week’s arrest.

Buggs has been arrested twice in less than a month after misdemeanor charges were filed against him on May 29 for cruelty to dogs in the second degree. According to an article by ESPN, Buggs was booked into the Tuscaloosa County jail and later released on a $5,000 bond. Buggs appeared in 10 games last season for the Lions and was signed to the Chiefs practice squad in January 2024, shortly after the Lions released him. We don’t know much about this incident outside of Buggs’ arrest and release, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the Chiefs cut ties with him in the coming days given the recent string of events.

Jones’ teammate, Travis Kelce, previously said he can’t put a timeframe on when he would retire, but plans to play through his contract. Jones said, “We can’t let TK go. It’s like we retire, we’ve got to retire together.” He turns 30 next month and plans to play through the new five-year deal he signed with the Chiefs this offseason. Jones continued, “Give me at least six, four years, then we’ll talk about it.” Jones is still playing at a high level, tallying 10.5 sacks last season. He will aim to contribute to a Chiefs three-peat, while the team keeps the core veterans together for the short-term.

The veteran tight who will turn 35 this season, understands the questions about when he’ll hang up the cleats, but says he “really can’t put a timeframe” on it. Kelce also acknowledged the opportunities that he has outside of football, but still enjoys coming to work. While he’s shown slight signs of decline, his chemistry with Patrick Mahomes is unmatched and as long he’s playing, Kelce is a threat. He still has the competitive fire that’ll keep him amongst the top tight ends in football.

At just 31 years old, Nelson has opted to call it quits. The former third-round pick tied a career-high with four interceptions last season while playing on over 1,000 defensive snaps, and, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, fielded multiple offers from teams this offseason. Nelson appeared in 130 regular season contests during his career, racking up 13 interceptions while also recovering four fumbles His 12 pass breakups tied for 23rd most in the league amongst defensive backs last season, as he helped solidify a Texans secondary that allowed the fewest touchdown passes (17) in the league.

Thompson was rushed to the hospital after having a seizure during a team meeting and was reportedly in stable condition. Thompson, 25, a 2023 fifth round pick by Kansas City, appeared in one game last season.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Thompson is in stable condition thanks to the speedy response of the team’s medical staff. Thompson was drafted by the Chiefs in the fifth-round of the 2023 NFL Draft and appeared in one game for them last season. The Chiefs canceled all team activities for the day.

Hardman split 2023 between the Jets and Chiefs, totaling 15 receptions for 124 scoreless yards in the regular season. Hardman’s biggest moment came in the Super Bowl when he found the end zone on a three-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes for a walk-off touchdown to down the 49ers 25-22. Hardman’s offensive production has dropped off significantly over the last two years, and he shouldn’t be considered a lock to make the 53-man roster. However, his experience on special teams in a league that’s hoping to have more kick returns in 2024 could add to his value.

As is the case with all first-round contracts, the deal is fully guaranteed and includes a fifth-year option for the Chiefs. Worthy has recently been held out of OTAs because of a minor hamstring issue. The injury shouldn’t worry fantasy managers as long as he is ready for training camp. With Rashee Rice facing a possible suspension, Worthy could be in line for a sizable role to start his rookie season. His outlook will change drastically once we get a resolution to Rice’s legal situation. For now, he ranks as a volatile WR4.

Toub points out that the new kickoff rules could require kickers to be more involved in tackles — something the Chiefs may prefer for Butker to avoid. Toub said the team watched every kickoff in the XFL, which first experimented with this rule, and found that kickers were involved in “at least 25 to 40 percent of the tackles” in the tape they watched. Toub said safety Justin Reid has been viewed as a potential option to replace Butker on kickoffs, but it doesn’t seem like anything is definite at this time. It wouldn’t be surprising to see other teams consider this approach to avoid injuries to their kickers.