ClutchPoints
In Kansas City, championships are the standard, not the aspiration. After another deep playoff run last season, the Chiefs head into the 2025 preseason with a roster that still boasts elite talent at the top but has question marks in its depth. This August, every snap matters, especially for players whose futures depend on showing they belong in one of the NFL’s most competitive locker rooms.
For nearly a decade, the Chiefs have been the AFC’s gold standard. Of course, with that comes a different kind of preseason. August in Kansas City isn’t about discovering stars. It’s about sharpening the edges of a roster that expects to contend for a Lombardi Trophy every year. Andy Reid and his staff have built a reputation for finding value in late-bloomers, cast-offs, and rookies who can thrive in their system. 2025 figures to follow the same blueprint.
On offense, Patrick Mahomes remains firmly in his prime. That said, the cast around him has changed once again. They have undergone turnover at wide receiver, on the offensive line, and in the running back room. Defensively, Steve Spagnuolo’s unit is still built around stalwarts Chris Jones and Trent McDuffie. At the same time, the Chiefs will need a fresh wave of younger talent to emerge after an active offseason.
For players on the fringe, the message is simple: shine in August, or you won’t make it to September.
Here we’ll try to look at the three Kansas City Chiefs players on the roster bubble who must shine in the 2025 NFL preseason.
It’s unusual for one NFL team to carry three quarterbacks with legitimate starting experience. However, that’s exactly the dilemma Kansas City faces with Mahomes, Gardner Minshew, and Bailey Zappe.
Zappe, who is a former fourth-round pick, has shown flashes of competence in his short NFL career. He posted a 4–5 record as a starter with the Patriots and briefly with the Browns. Now on his third team in three years, the 25-year-old must prove that he belongs on an active roster rather than the practice squad.
The reality for Zappe is simple: barring a dramatic preseason performance, he is likely to land behind Mahomes and Minshew. He will either be cut or kept as a developmental option. That means every rep in training camp and every snap in the preseason is a showcase not just for Kansas City, but potentially for other quarterback-needy teams across the league.
What gives Zappe a fighting chance is his poise under pressure and his ability to run an offense cleanly. If he can string together efficient, turnover-free drives and show command of Reid’s system, the Chiefs may be forced to think long and hard about keeping three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.
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