It says something that the Kansas City Chiefs put Andrew Armstrong front and center on Monday.
Nothing is a given for Armstrong as a former undrafted free agent who is already on his third team in just over a year of chasing his dream of professional football. Armstrong joined K.C. on a reserve/futures deal in January after previous stops with the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions in 2025. But the opportunity in front of him is a bit more meaningful given his local connections, and his ability to even tell reporters about it at training camp is telling in itself.
A hometown opportunity with the Chiefs
Armstrong spoke with the media during Monday's press conference from training camp at St. Joseph. The Chiefs had three undrafted players at the podium: running back E.J. Smith, safety Xavier Nwankpa, and Armstrong. If a player was on the verge of being released anytime soon, he wouldn't be taking questions, which at least gives some indication that Armstrong is going to get a real shot in camp.
"My dad lives in Kansas City, Missouri. My brothers, my aunts, my cousins, everybody from here," Armstrong said about being in camp with the Chiefs. "So just coming back to here, it's been amazing. Coach Reid, the teammates, the receiving room, Coach O'Shea, it's just been great all around."
Armstrong grew up in Dallas and went to the University of Arkansas for his final two collegiate seasons, but he says the Chiefs were his team as a kid because they were his dad's favorite. His family has also visited the region on a regular basis.
"My whole life. We used to come up here, me with my uncles, my aunts. They used to have barbecues and things like that," Armstrong said. "They literally live like 10 minutes away from the stadium. So it's going to be fun this year."
An SEC star still chasing an NFL roster spot
Armstrong led the SEC in receiving in 2024, catching 78 passes for 1,140 yards at Arkansas, but that didn't translate to an NFL roster right away. He signed with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent but was released in August. He spent most of the season waiting on a call until the Detroit Lions offered him a shot on the practice squad for a week in early December. Then the Chiefs came calling with an offseason roster spot.
"It wasn't too much of knowing the best way to earn the roster spot. It was just coming in to work and knowing nothing's given to nobody," Armstrong said. "So I know I was going to have to come in here and do the best that I can, be the best type of player I can on and off the field, in the training room, inside of the locker room, a great teammate. So it's just little things like that that just help me come into here and fight for a spot."
Building trust with Patrick Mahomes and Chad O'Shea
Some of that work has been building chemistry with Patrick Mahomes, which Armstrong started back in the spring. "It's been great. Just working in the summer, before the summer in OTAs and things like that. It was great just catching the ball from him," Armstrong said. "A lot of people don't know that the Chiefs have been my favorite team since I was a kid because it's my dad's favorite team. But being here and being able to catch with him, earn that chemistry with him, it's been great. It's been fun."
Armstrong also had plenty of praise for the Chiefs new wide receivers coach. The team hired veteran Chad O'Shea away from the Cleveland Browns after Armstrong arrived. Both are adjusting together to their new environment, and Armstrong has taken to his coaching style.
"I love Coach O'Shea. He's going to be hard on me, and that's the type of coach I love to play for," Armstrong said. "A coach that's really going to get on you, really going to tell you what you need to do with the small details, and that's exactly what O'Shea does. When I get that coaching from him, I love it."
Armstrong knows the roster math works against him at this point, even in a wide receiver room that's largely the same as it was a year ago. But every year brings new opportunities and the fresh faces on Andy Reid's coaching staff could work in his favor, knowing that everyone is working with a fresh slate for assistants like O'Shea. Whatever they're asking of him, he's ready to do it.
"Just whatever I can do to help the team, like wherever it is," Armstrong said. "Like if it's on offense, special teams, if they need a safety, like wherever they need to put me at, I'm just here to work in and be the best player I can be."
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