The second preseason game is where roster hopes start getting real, and the Chiefs have plenty of players trying to force their way into the picture against the Buccaneers.
That’s especially true in a year that has already put pressure on just about every part of the roster. Kansas City is coming off a 2025 season that fell well short of expectations, and now the focus has shifted to who can help change the tone in 2026.
For a handful of players, Saturday is about more than just another exhibition snap. It’s about jobs, roles, and whether they stay in the mix when the final decisions come.
Garrett Nussmeier is one of the most interesting names to watch. It still sounds odd to talk about a quarterback battle in Kansas City with Patrick Mahomes in place, but the Chiefs do have a real fight brewing for the backup job.
Kansas City brought in Justin Fields during the offseason, and he enters as the favorite for QB2. Nussmeier, though, has a real shot to make things interesting in his first three pro games.
The rookie looked the part in the Chiefs’ preseason opener, showing the same gunslinger traits that made him appealing in the seventh round. If he puts together another strong outing, he could make a serious push for the backup job. If not, the practice squad starts to look like the more likely landing spot in 2026.
Brashard Smith is another player with a lot riding on this weekend. A seventh-round pick in 2025, he carved out a role last season as the team’s primary kick returner and also made himself useful as a pass catcher out of the backfield. In fact, he finished with more receiving yards than rushing yards, which tells you how the Chiefs used him.
Smith has also turned heads in camp, with some around the team viewing him as a possible RB2 for 2026. In the first preseason game, he picked up right where he left off, giving Kansas City the same kind of dependable receiving presence and space ability he showed last year. He’s got competition from Emari Demercado and Emmett Johnson, so another solid performance could go a long way toward locking down both a roster spot and a bigger offensive role.
Andrew Armstrong is in a different kind of fight, but the opportunity is there too. The Chiefs’ receiver room has been one of the biggest talking points in camp, with Cyrus Allen flashing and Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice missing time because of injuries. That has opened the door for other wideouts to make a case, and Armstrong took advantage of his chance in the opener against the Rams, looking like a steady outside target even if it came against the Rams’ second unit.
Armstrong led the SEC in receiving yards in 2024, and now he’s trying to turn that production into NFL staying power. If Worthy and Rice are healthy by Week 1, Armstrong would probably be fighting for the sixth and final receiver spot. Either way, he’s got plenty of chances left to show he belongs in the Chiefs’ plans for 2026 and beyond.
Jake Briningstool is also in the middle of an uphill battle worth watching. Kansas City signed the former Clemson tight end right after the 2025 NFL Draft, and his college résumé made him one of the better pass-catching tight ends in the country. The issue was always the same one that pushed him out of the draft: questions about his blocking.
Even so, a strong preseason could change the conversation. Briningstool has a path to convincing the Chiefs to carry a fourth tight end, and that would keep him in position to become a real factor in 2026.
Then there’s the safety competition, where Xavier Nwankpa and Deshon Singleton are trying to make their case. The Chiefs already appear to have three players in line to make the Week 1 roster, but Steve Spagnuolo’s defenses have usually carried four safeties, which makes it likely Kansas City keeps at least one more in 2026.
That battle seems to be down to these two UDFA additions. Both got meaningful snaps against the Rams in the first preseason game, though neither did much to separate himself. This weekend gives both players another chance to flash and show the front office whether they’re worth keeping for Week 1, whether that means one, both, or neither of them survives the cut.
In Other News...
Kareem Hunt Could Become A Familiar Chiefs Problem In The AFC West
Kareem Hunts return to Kansas City in 2024 gave the Chiefs a familiar presence in the backfield and produced his best rushing totals since 2020, a reminder that he could still be useful in the right role. Even so, Kansas City chose not to bring him back for the 2025 season, leaving the veteran running back on the open market after a stretch in which his touches had steadily been trimmed.
Now there is at least a possibility that Hunt could end up in the AFC West again, this time with the Raiders, who could use a seasoned runner to complement rookie Ashton Jeanty. For Chiefs fans, the idea of Hunt staying in the division is the kind of subplot that always gets attention, especially when it involves a player who already knows Kansas Citys system and could wind up in a spot where he might matter again. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Roster Battle Could End Quickly For 3 Bubble Players
The Chiefs are moving toward the first big roster cutdown, and for a handful of players, the pressure is already building. After the preseason opener, Jason Brownlee, EJ Smith and Mason Pline have all been on the fringe in terms of playing time, a sign that each one still has work to do before Kansas City trims its offseason group from 90 players to 53.
The next preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers now looms as a key chance to change that outlook. Brownlee, Smith and Pline are all in the same uneasy spot: limited snaps so far, uncertain roster odds and one more opportunity to make their case before the Chiefs have to start making hard decisions. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Fans Have One Chargers Cut To Watch Very Closely
As the Chargers work their way down to the 53-man roster, Kyle Kennard is the kind of player Kansas City Chiefs fans have reason to keep an eye on. The recent fourth-round pick arrived with a strong college rsum, but he has had limited opportunity as a rookie while Los Angeles sorts through a crowded defensive end picture and the usual August squeeze at the back end of the roster.
For the Chiefs, the interest goes beyond simple division rivalry. Their pass-rushing depth has been tested by injuries and uneven production, which means a young edge player with some pedigree could suddenly look a lot more attractive if he reaches waivers. Kennard may not be a headline name yet, but this is the kind of roster cutdown subplot that can matter in Kansas City if the right opening appears. [Read more 🡒]