Chiefs News 5/5: Former Chiefs wideouts are standouts in UFL

“He’s way ahead of schedule,” Veach said. “I think the biggest challenge that we’re going to have is protecting [Mahomes] against himself because I’m sure when we get to St. Joseph, Missouri, for training camp, he’s going to want to be a full-go.”

Mahomes is recovering from ACL and LCL tears in his left knee, which he suffered last December in the Chiefs’ Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. While the typical recovery timeline is nine to 12 months, his current progress puts him on track to potentially return for training camp, if not sooner.

“It’s been really inspiring,” Veach said. “I’ve been there before with Pat when he had that dislocated knee and worked his tail off to come back in three weeks. I knew this bump in the road wouldn’t slow him down at all.” **Chiefs Complete Rookie Minicamp at the Team Facility | The Mothership** Indeed, the Chiefs’ 76 rookie tryout players were the team’s most in recent memory, but a year after finding linebacker Cooper McDonald – a tryout player who went on to appear in all 17 games – Kansas City is leaving no stone unturned.

“You always find two or three guys in that mix,” Reid said. “The more guys you bring in, the better chance of finding a [player we might sign].”

With all of that in mind, here are some quick notes from the two days of practice that were open to the media:

Wide receiver Cyrus Allen, a fifth-round pick, impressed with several catches on Day 1, including a strong reception over the middle amidst good coverage during 7-on-7 drills. Allen then followed up that performance with another strong practice on Day 2, tallying perhaps the play of the afternoon with a leaping, toe-tap grab near the sideline.

Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, a seventh-round selection last week, completed 9-of-14 passes during the initial 11-on-11 period of practice on Day 1. He then followed that showing up by going 8-of-10 during 7-on-7 drills.

Wide receiver Omari Evans, an undrafted free agent signee from Washington, was a standout on Day 1, hauling in multiple receptions. Notably, Evans – who ran a 4.28 40-yard dash at his pro day – made an over-the-shoulder catch deep down the sideline during an 11-on-11 portion of practice.

Running back Jaydn Ott, an undrafted free agent signee from the University of California, had a busy practice on Day 1 with several carries and receptions.

Wide receiver Jeff Caldwell, an undrafted free agent signee from Cincinnati, showed off his 4.31 speed and impressive length on Day 1 with a full-extension catch deep down the sideline during a 7-on-7 portion of practice. **When will Kansas City Chiefs’ 2026 schedule be released? Latest NFL rumor suggests it could come later than usual | A to Z Sports** In an interview with Bills reporter Sal Capaccio just two weeks ago, NFL V.P. of broadcast planning Mike North was a bit dodgy about a target date for the schedule release. For the last five years, it has fallen during the second full week of May. This year, he believes it could fall in the third week of May.

“Most fans know full well that the schedule comes out in mid-May now. That’s what we’ve done the last five or six years. That’s sort of our target. Is there any magic to May 12, 13, 14? No. Is there any real downside to 19, 20, or 21? No. I don’t think it’s coming out in June, but that second week in May has been our target the last few years, but I don’t know that it’s impossible to think about that third week in May.”

MIKE NORTH — NFL V.P. of Broadcast Planning

Why is that the case? One potential reason is a five-game package reportedly being shopped to multiple broadcast partners, including YouTube, Netflix, and FOX. The package is said to include the Week 1 tilt between the 49ers and Rams in Australia, a second Black Friday game, and a Christmas Eve game, among others. **Trump asks Kansas City BBQ owner about Mahomes during White House visit | KCTV5** President Donald Trump hosted a Kansas City visitor at the White House Monday, and asked him a question that’s on the minds of most Kansas Citians.

Joe Pearce, the owner of Slaps BBQ in Kansas City, Kansas, attended Trump’s Small Business Summit in Washington, D.C., on Monday.

“How’s (Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick) Mahomes doing?” Trump was recorded asking Pearce in a video shared by the White House’s communications team. “You tell the people we love him!”

The question from Trump about Mahomes’ recovery from a torn ACL suffered in mid-December came as the President surveyed a table of Slaps’ barbecue sauces and t-shirts.

**Around the NFL**

**Packers sign veteran Tyrod Taylor as likely new QB2 | ESPN**

Taylor is expected to be the favorite to back up Jordan Love, who is entering his fourth season as a starter.

Taylor is a replacement for Malik Willis, who played behind Love the past two seasons before signing with the Miami Dolphins in free agency.

Before signing the 36-year-old Taylor, the only other quarterbacks the Packers had on the roster were Desmond Ridder and Kyle McCord.

Ridder was released Monday in a corresponding move to Taylor’s signing.

“I’m excited about the competition in that room and we’ll see if we add to it along the way,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said after the draft and before signing Taylor. “But it’s a really important thing for us. Jordan, the last two years has missed some time, and we’ve needed somebody to come in there and play at a high level to help win those games. So, whoever’s called upon we’re going to expect that and when you lose a guy like Malik, it is something you’re going to have to replace, and we’re going to try to do that.” **Fernando Mendoza took more snaps under center at Raiders’ rookie minicamp than he did in college | NFL.com** During rookie minicamp over the weekend, Mendoza said learning coach Klint Kubiak’s offense has been like a “firehose,” and the reps under center have been particularly emphasized.

“Instead of being back there in shotgun, we have to get back to make sure you best serve your offensive linemen, still be on time [and] still decipher the defense,” Mendoza said Saturday, via Ryan McFadden of ESPN. “And with that, actually having an emphasis on those first two steps, on securing the snap and getting out of there, and [being] powerful with having quick feet.”

During his three seasons, two at Cal and one at Indiana, Mendoza took just five snaps from under center. Kubiak’s play-action offense uses under-center reps at one of the highest rates in the league. Getting the steps down and learning to have his head briefly away from the defense during play-action calls will be new for Mendoza. The transition to under-center play is often brushed aside as a formality when scouting a player’s transition to college. But the fundamentals will play a big role in how quickly a QB can succeed at the pro level. For some, it takes longer than others to get them down.

**In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride**

**Chiefs’ GM Brett Veach says offense is ‘getting back to the old school’**

“Bringing EB back is certainly going to play a factor in that,” Veach expressed. “You guys know how talented he is and how much he demands, or the demands he puts on the linemen up front. Obviously, Eric is probably one of the best running back coaches of all-time.”

“We’re excited to add Kenneth Walker. We added a fifth-round pick in Emmett Johnson,” Veach continued. “But I think, getting back to the old-school: play defense and establish that run game, I think, will take a lot of pressure off Pat and as he’s working back from that injury, allow him to kind of do what he does and hopefully, by midseason or late-season, Pat’s in that groove, and we have this thing cooking.”

That’s the mindset of the organization when it comes to improving the run game, a lackluster one even with Mahomes at full health in recent seasons. However, it becomes even more important when considering the physical limits the gunslinger could be playing with early in his time back on the field.

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