ESPN’s Chiefs insider Nate Taylor joined 96.5 The Fan on Thursday to discuss a variety of topics about the team. When they got on the subject of free agents that could still be added, Taylor was asked what he felt the odds were that Hill returns to Kansas City.
“We know that Tyreek is planning to play this upcoming season,” Taylor said. “You’re going to get more updates on his health, given his rehab. We know he’s a diligent worker, so I don’t think that’s the issue. I don’t want to be hyperbolic or over the top, but I think there’s like more than a 50 percent chance that he’s in a Chiefs uniform. I will put it at like 55 percent, maybe even 60.”
Taylor went on to explain why a reunion between Hill and the Chiefs makes sense.
“He already knows the coaching staff, the health and medical staff, the athletic training staff,” Taylor continued. “It would be an easier transition for him.”
The Chiefs made a move for Delane, trading up to No. 6 to secure him after trading Trent McDuffie and losing Jaylen Watson both to the Los Angeles Rams. Woods brings Chris Jones some company in the middle to boost the interior. However, Kelce particularly seemed to like the Thomas pick.
“The guy is a freak of nature in terms of athleticism and explosiveness,” Kelce said of the edge rusher. “I can’t wait to see how this guy gets after the quarterback. It’s been kind of something that the Chiefs have been looking at to get better at, and that’s getting after the QB and really putting quarterbacks under duress. Obviously, we’ve always had Chris Jones there, and George (Karlaftis) is a workhorse.
“I think this is going to be a game-changer at the edge position. I know he had a hamstring last year on an unbelievable fumble recovery. So we’ll see him when he gets in the building. I’m sure Spags (defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) will have a fun time putting him to work as well.”
Kansas City Chiefs
Projected compensatory picks
Round 4
Round 7
Round 7
Key free-agent losses
CB Jaylen Watson, $17 million, Rams
S Bryan Cook, $13.4 million, Bengals
LB Leo Chenal, $8.3 million, Commanders
QB Gardner Minshew, $5.8 million, Cardinals
WR Marquise Brown, $5 million, Eagles
Edge Charles Omenihu, $4 million, Commanders
CB Joshua Williams, $3.4 million, Titans
Key free-agent additions
RB Kenneth Walker III, $14.4 million
S Alohi Gilman, $8 million
DL Khyiris Tonga, $7 million
Analysis
Kansas City can pencil in a fourth-rounder for the loss of Watson, who is being paid as a top-20 corner by the Rams. The signings of Walker, Gilman and Tonga will likely cancel out the losses of Cook, Chenal and Minshew. The Chiefs have a decent shot to pick up seventh-rounders for Brown and Omenihu, with Williams a slightly longer shot to net a seventh because of his lower APY.
17. Kansas City Chiefs
The status of Patrick Mahomes’ surgically repaired knee is the dominant storyline for the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason, but the Chiefs have some significant questions on defense as well.
After trading cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams and losing Jaylen Watson in free agency, Kansas City’s pass defense is undergoing a major overhaul. The team brought in Kader Kohou in free agency and drafted Mansoor Delane sixth overall, but the Chiefs’ cornerbacks will be vastly different in 2026.
The pass rush is also a concern. Defensive tackle Chris Jones and edge-rusher George Karlaftis are back, and the team spent a second-rounder on edge-rusher R Mason Thomas, but Kansas City had just 35 sacks as a team in 2025.
There’s stability at linebacker with Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill back, but a defense that can’t rush the passer and has uncertainty on the back end means that Steve Spagnuolo has his work cut out for him this season.
Stefon Diggs has a proven track record
Despite leading the New England Patriots in receptions (85) and receiving yards (1,013) en route to an appearance in Super Bowl 60, Stefon Diggs was let go by the team he most recently called his own. Now, the receiver known for the Minneapolis Miracle is slated to play for his fourth team in as many years.
Diggs has produced wherever he has played, and he seemingly still has plenty left in the tank. The Chiefs must aggressively pursue him in free agency because he’d be a perfect fit to join the receiving corps that already includes Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, and Tyquan Thornton.
Worthy is a speed threat and gadget expert, Rice is a yards-after-catch beast and physical possession receiver, and Thornton excels as a deep ball target. Diggs would round out this group because he is a route-running expert with reliable hands. When Mahomes is ready to return to the fold, the Chiefs could spread out the offense and allow him to have a plethora of players to throw to. After all, Travis Kelce recently re-signed with the team. If Fields is playing quarterback for the team, he wouldn’t have to make too many reads because if Diggs is on the roster in addition to what the team already possesses, then there should be open targets all over the field.
Six-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Calais Campbell is reuniting with the Baltimore Ravens.
Campbell is returning to sign a one-year deal with the Ravens, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday. This will mark the 19th season for Campbell, who will turn 40 on Sept. 1.
Baltimore is bringing back Campbell because interior defensive line was among the thinnest positions on the team after the draft. Though Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike might come back from neck surgery, the only Ravens defensive linemen currently available who played more than 100 snaps last season are Travis Jones, John Jenkins and CJ Okoye.
That was expected as the Colts seek to trade Richardson.
General Manager Chris Ballard said Saturday that he “hadn’t given too much thought” about the fifth-year option that would have paid Richardson $22.483 million for 2027. But the Colts faced a Friday deadline for a decision.
It didn’t take much consideration as Richardson, the fourth overall pick in 2023, has started only 15 games due to injuries and inconsistency. He is still recovering from an eye injury from last October.
Richardson has requested a trade, and if the Colts can’t find a trade partner, they will have to decide whether to release Richardson. The Colts have Richardson, Riley Leonard and Seth Henigan behind Daniel Jones on their depth chart.
1. The Chiefs thought cornerback was their biggest need
The Chiefs lost their top two players at the position, one of whom was an All-Pro. Still, Kansas City kept its feelings close to the vest, out of fear that if another team sniffed through its smokescreen, it might not get its guy.
And if it’s one thing we know about Chiefs general manager Brett Veach, it’s that he will go get his guy.
Delane is proof of this—but what was at least a little surprising to hear is that the team viewed its third round selection (pick 74) as trade ammo for a cornerback all along.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported after the draft that if Kansas City was unsuccessful in moving up for Delane, the front office was planning on using pick 74 to move up and take San Diego cornerback Chris Johnson later in round one.
I’ll say this about the Delane selection. When you’re picking in the top 10 in the draft, you have to walk away with a blue-chip player, and I think there’s a good chance the Chiefs got that in Delane, who is a smart and physical player who should fit in perfectly with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.
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