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Chiefs sign TE Mason Pline | Pro Football Talk
The Chiefs have a new tight end on the roster.
Wednesday’s transaction report from the league shows that they have signed Mason Pline. The Chiefs had an open spot after trading tackle Wanya Morris to the Falcons, so they did not need to make any corresponding move.
Pline tried out for the Chiefs at their minicamp this month. He signed with the 49ers after going undrafted in 2024 and spent the season on their practice squad. He moved on to the Saints as a waiver claim last August, but did not play in any games with New Orleans.
Chiefs Open Nomination Process for 2026 Lamar Hunt Legacy Seat Honorees | The Mothership
“What sets Chiefs Kingdom apart is the way our fans show up for one another and for their communities,” Chiefs Vice President of Fan Experience Jayne Martin said. “The Lamar Hunt Legacy Seat allows us to recognize individuals who embody the spirit of our founder, Lamar Hunt, and carry forward the values he stood for. We are excited to continue recognizing our fanbase as we open the Lamar Hunt Legacy Seat submission window for the 2026 season.”
The two gold seats – one for the honoree and one for a guest – are located in section 121 of the lower bowl, symbolically positioned under Lamar Hunt’s name in the team’s Ring of Honor. Since its introduction in 2019, nearly 80 individuals have been recognized across preseason, regular season, and postseason games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. A list of past honorees dating back to the 2022 season can be found at www.chiefs.com/community/lamarhuntlegacyseat.
Chiefs need to add another offensive weapon for Patrick Mahomes & 2 players stand out as best options | The Big Lead
The Kansas City Chiefs are not far removed from being in the NFL elite. This is why they should not be done helping Patrick Mahomes. Kansas City still has enough talent to win. That has almost never been the question. The bigger issue is whether the Chiefs have enough proven offensive firepower around Mahomes to make the offense feel dangerous every week, not just when he drags it there himself. That is why two veteran free agents should stand out: Deebo Samuel and Stefon Diggs.
Neither player is a perfect long-term answer. That is fine. The Chiefs do not need a perfect long-term answer. They need another dangerous veteran who can help Mahomes right now.
Samuel would bring a different type of stress to the offense. He is not just a traditional receiver. He can work after the catch, line up in different spots, take manufactured touches, and force defenses to tackle in space. For an offense that has sometimes needed more easy yards, that skill set makes obvious sense.
Albert Breer’s Mailbag: How Mike McDaniel Can Get Justin Herbert in the MVP Conversation | Sports Illustrated
Kansas City Chiefs
From OnwardThruTheFog (@ByondPtOfCaring): The incessant drone has begun. “Mahomes is back!” “The Chiefs will dominate again.” I don’t see it. I think they will be #3 in the AFC West again. What do you think?
Onward, I have a hard time seeing the Chiefs with a healthy Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid still on top of his game being down long. Kenneth Walker III is going to make them markedly better. The trade of backup tackle Wanya Morris is a good signal for where things are with Josh Simmons and Jaylon Moore. The defense is replacing Trent McDuffie with a very high-end prospect in No. 6 pick Mansoor Delane.
Now, the question is there right at the top—will Mahomes feel the ill effects of the torn ACL and LCL? It’s interesting to look at Tom Brady on this one, too, since Brady, like Mahomes, tore up his knee in his ninth NFL season, and soon after turning 30 (Brady was actually 31). Brady, remarkably, made the playoffs in all 18 seasons he finished as the Patriots’ starter, and only twice didn’t make the divisional round. One of the two came in his final season in New England. The other was the year after he tore his ACL.
So we’ll see what happens. But I wouldn’t bet against the Chiefs.
Commanders Worked Out UFL WR Justyn Ross | NFL Trade Rumors
According to Christian Paolantonio, the Commanders hosted UFL WR Justyn Ross for a workout on Wednesday.
Ross, 26, was a freshman All-America in 2018 for Clemson and led the team in receptions in his final two seasons. He missed the 2020 season after having surgery to correct a congenital spine fusion.
Ross signed a rookie contract with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent but missed his first season due to foot surgery. He was later placed on the Comissioner’s exempt list due to an arrest.
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Chargers’ Omarion Hampton: OC Mike McDaniel told me I remind him of Hall of Famer Terrell Davis | NFL.com
At his Wednesday news conference during the team’s mandatory minicamp, Hampton said that his new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel told him he reminds him of Terrell Davis, per Bolt Beat’s Alex Insdorf.
Davis had a short but spectacular peak for the Denver Broncos before eventually receiving his gold jacket in 2017. A 1995 sixth-round pick, Davis ran for 6,413 yards and 56 touchdowns during his first four seasons, a stretch that concluded with a 2,000-yard rushing campaign. He made three Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams and won two Offensive Player of the Year awards and two Super Bowls during that span.
Hampton, who said he’s “watched some of the highlights,” obviously has a long way to go to close the achievement gap following an injury-plagued rookie season, but McDaniel recognizes the talent.
Sean Payton: The UFL is helping develop NFL players | Pro Football Talk
Broncos coach Sean Payton, whose team recently signed UFL receiver Hakeem Butler and UFL cornerback Sean Fresch Jr., was asked on Wednesday whether Denver’s scouts have made a concerted effort to target UFL players.
“I asked the question of the scouts the other day like, ‘UFL or CFL? Where are we getting the better [players]?’” Payton told reporters. “I don’t know how many years in, five, six, seven with the UFL, and I think it’s kind of becoming that, ‘OK, where’s the next market?’ They’re getting developed somewhere. Where are they if they’re not in our league? I think to their league’s credit, it’s helping us.”
Technically, the UFL has been around for only three years. It arose from a merger of the XFL and the USFL.
Payton also was asked whether it helps players with limited NFL experience to get UFL reps.
“Well, they don’t have a choice,” Payton said. “But yes. Do I think guys can go get exposure, get experience, get confidence? History has said there are Hall of Famers now for our league that played up in the CFL.”
Burrow says Bengals remind him of 2019 national champion LSU | ESPN
“You go back and watch what I said before the 2019 season at LSU,” Burrow said Wednesday. “I feel very similarly about this team. I’m so excited to get started and get moving. I wish we ramped this right into training camp so we can continue to improve.
“I feel like there’s so much greatness we’ll be able to achieve this year that I’m just excited to get going.”
Burrow will have to wait on that. The Bengals wrapped up minicamp two days early, with Wednesday serving as a team activity day before coach Zac Taylor dismissed the group for the summer. Taylor said all the necessary parts of the playbook have been installed and the on-field work the team has done over the past few weeks merited the early dismissal.
But that didn’t stop Burrow from putting in an incredible amount of work. He was on the practice field for an additional hour after Tuesday’s practice and also had an extended throwing session Wednesday, which will be the team’s final workday at Paycor Stadium before training camp begins in mid-July.
The reasoning behind Burrow’s approach this week was simple. “Just trying to get better, man,” he said.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs’ Noah Gray feels very fortunate for another year of Travis Kelce
All of the extracurriculars on Kelce’s plate have yet to affect the veteran leadership he has developed in Kansas City’s locker room. That’s how Gray sees it, who looked relieved when responding to a question about Kelce being back during a minicamp press conference last week.
“I’m just very fortunate and very glad that he is playing alongside me this season,” Gray said. “There’s so much that he brings to the table. Leadership, work ethic, just certain fundamentals that we have on the field that he can help us [with] cause he’s been in this way longer than I have and most of those guys in the locker room.
“To be able to play alongside still is a blessing,” Gray continued. “It’s something I hope I never take for granted every day I step in this facility.”
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