Felix Anudike-Uzomah is getting a real shot to climb back into the Chiefs’ pass-rush picture.
When Kansas City opened its third official training camp practice on Friday, Anudike-Uzomah was lined up with the first-team defense at defensive end. With the Chiefs still looking for a long-term answer opposite George Karlaftis, that placement immediately stood out in St. Joseph.
It also marked a notable turn for a player who has been easy to forget. Chiefs fans have mostly been seeing second-round rookie R Mason Thomas out of Oklahoma and second-year end Ashton Gillotte working on the outside, while Anudike-Uzomah has been pushed to the margins after missing last season.
He has not taken a snap since the ’24 campaign, and by the end of his second NFL season, the former 2023 first-round pick was already hanging onto rotational work in a pass rush that needed more help. The bust talk had started to write itself.
Now the Chiefs are giving him starter’s reps early in camp, and that matters. If he’s going to contribute anything in 2026, he has to get back up to speed somehow.
Last season never got off the ground for Anudike-Uzomah. A hamstring injury sent him to injured reserve before the year even began, wiping out a crucial third season. He enters a contract year with Kansas City coming off a rough 6-11 season, and while nobody at Arrowhead is counting on him to suddenly become the answer on the edge, he’s not being treated like a lost cause either.
There is still room for him in the mix. The Chiefs have made changes on the outside, but a lot of the reshaping has happened inside, where Peter Woods was drafted and Khyiris Tonga was signed.
Mike Danna was released, Charles Omenihu left in free agency, and Ethan Downs was recently lost for the season with a torn ACL. That leaves snaps available, and someone has to take them.
Anudike-Uzomah still has plenty to prove. Through three NFL seasons, he has played only 550 total professional snaps, which is barely a starter’s half-season workload.
He’s had preseason games and minicamp work, but that’s not the same as being available when it counts. Missing that third year mattered.
Still, the Chiefs are holding onto him for his final season under contract, and the logic is simple. The money is already committed, and the team might as well see whether there’s something left to extract from a position where a real role is up for grabs. Even if he settles back into the 20 to 30 percent snap range he handled in his first two seasons, that would make these early first-team reps worth the effort.
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Mahomes return to training camp after knee surgery only sharpened that backdrop, especially with the quarterback already showing strong passing in drills. Thornton has taken notice of the standard being set and is leaning into the idea that he is now the most experienced wideout in the room, a role that comes with more than just routes and catches. For the Chiefs, the early message is less about a number change than about a receiver buying in, staying put, and helping guide a young group while Mahomes gets back to full speed. [Read more 🡒]