JuJu Smith-Schuster’s latest cut has already kicked up the familiar Kansas City rumor mill, but this is one reunion Brett Veach should leave alone.
The Chiefs have made a habit of circling back to familiar faces during the dynasty. Mecole Hardman, Derrick Nnadi, Mike Pennel and others have all spent time away before eventually landing back in Kansas City.
Smith-Schuster has been part of that loop, too. He signed with the Chiefs in 2022, helped them win a Super Bowl, left for the Patriots in 2023, and then found his way back to Kansas City in 2024 and 2025.
Now he’s back on the market again. Smith-Schuster signed with the Giants this offseason, but on Tuesday the team cut him to make room for newly signed running back Najee Harris. That immediately opened the door for more chatter about a possible return to the Chiefs.
There’s an obvious reason the speculation keeps coming. Smith-Schuster has a good relationship with the organization, and Kansas City’s wide receiver group is not exactly overflowing with proven talent. Tyquan Thornton was also carted off during Tuesday’s practice, which only added to the noise.
Still, the Chiefs would be wise to resist the temptation. Smith-Schuster is not the same player he was during that 2022 run in Kansas City, and he has been dealing with a knee injury. For a team that does not need more players with injury concerns, that matters.
Veach has shown he likes bringing back players he knows, but that doesn’t mean every familiar name deserves another turn. Kansas City needs to stop recycling the same options and start looking for something different.
Smith-Schuster will always have a place in Chiefs memories for what he did there, but there’s a reason the team didn’t re-sign him earlier in the offseason. That logic should hold now, too.
In Other News...
Chiefs Still Have One Roster Decision That Could Reshape Depth
The Chiefs have spent much of the 2026 offseason reworking the roster, mixing free-agent additions, draft picks and a few notable rumors as training camp opens. Potential starters such as Peter Woods and Khalil Benson are already drawing attention, while the reported offer to Stefon Diggs showed how aggressively Kansas City is still trying to shape the offense and keep the depth chart flexible before the season settles in.
Even with those moves, one decision still hangs over the roster picture because the team appears open to exploring trade possibilities at a couple of spots. Kansas City has enough moving parts that a deal could alter both the starting lineup and the bench behind it, and the fact that multiple names are still being discussed suggests the front office is not done sorting out where its best value sits. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Suddenly Have A New Concern In Their Passing Game
The Chiefs passing-game depth took a hit during practice when Tyquan Thornton went down in a team drill, turning an ordinary summer session into a much more uneasy scene. Thornton has given Kansas City a useful vertical element since arriving, appearing in 14 games last season and finishing with 19 catches for 438 yards and three touchdowns, production that helped him carve out a real role in the offense.
What makes the situation linger is the lack of immediate clarity from the team. Kansas City has not said how serious the injury is or how long Thornton might be out, leaving the receiver room and the broader passing plan with a new question at a time when the Chiefs are trying to build momentum and define their options. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Suddenly Have A New Concern Protecting Patrick Mahomes
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Simmons path to this point has already included a torn patellar tendon and a wrist injury, so the Chiefs knew they were betting on both talent and durability when they made him a premium selection. For now, the concern is less about a long-term alarm and more about keeping the line intact enough to get through camp with some continuity. Kansas City can afford patience in August, but every missed rep around Mahomes still feels a little more significant than it should. [Read more 🡒]