There’s a surprise player who I think is on the hot seat heading into training camp next week. It's a player who isn’t just under pressure to make an impact during the season, but who is under pressure to even make the team in the first place: Nikko Remigio.
I think Remigio’s place on the 53-man roster is under serious threat. In fact, he’s my pick to be the most surprising cut the Chiefs make on roster cutdown day on August 30.
Why? Because he’s a luxury the Chiefs can no longer afford.
Given the poor level of play we saw from Kansas City’s offense last season, I don’t think the team can commit a roster spot to a kick and punt return specialist like Remigio who offers practically nothing on offense. It’s as simple as that.
Originally an undrafted free agent wide receiver out of Fresno State, Remigio has been used almost exclusively on special teams during his first two seasons with the Chiefs, with only limited usage on offense.
He had six targets and two catches in five games in 2024, and he was on the field for 12% of offensive snaps. But last year, Remigio’s snap percentage dropped to 3%, he had one rushing attempt and just a single reception—the same number of catches Patrick Mahomes had.
The Chiefs desperately need more production from their wide receivers this season if they want to get back to the playoffs and challenge for a Super Bowl, and Remigio has offered very little on that front so far in his career.
But there’s another thing working against Remigio too: his return numbers, which are meant to be his hallmark, aren’t actually that good.
Yes, he’s made some big plays—a 44-yard punt return against the Buffalo Bills in the 2024 AFC Championship Game and a 47-yard kick return against the Baltimore Ravens last season come to mind—but his numbers overall are only so-so.
Remigio’s 25.6 yards per kick return and 7.6 yards per punt return last season were both below league average, and neither his longest punt return nor his longest kick return ranked in the top 20 for distance. He’s been fine, but not exactly outstanding.
So, if Remigio offers practically no value as a wide receiver and he seems entirely replaceable as a returner, why keep him on the team? Why not give his roster spot to a player with more upside who has the potential to make a bigger impact?
The Chiefs already have other return options on their roster. Brashard Smith could take on the role while offering considerably more on offense than Remigio can at the same time.
Statistically speaking, Smith was a better returner than Remigio—his yards per punt return (11.3), longest punt return (44 yards), and yards per kick return (26.7) were all higher than Remigio’s totals last year.
Smith also had 44 rushes for 151 yards, 25 catches for 172 yards, and a receiving touchdown as Kansas City’s fourth-string running back, far more production than we’ve ever seen from Remigio.
New rookie running back Emmett Johnson was returning punts and kickoffs during OTAs in June, and he could follow Smith’s path as a hybrid back/returner in his debut season.
At this stage, I’d rather see the Chiefs take a flyer on high-risk, high-reward guys like Jeff Caldwell or Jacob De Jesus than run it back with Remigio.
De Jesus was a return specialist in college who had more catches and receiving yards in three seasons than Remigio had in five, and Caldwell is an incredible athlete who had the second-highest Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of any wide receiver at the combine in the last 39 years. I want to see if those guys can play, even if they are long shots to become meaningful NFL players.
There’s a chance Remigio could also be squeezed off the roster by a veteran free agent too. If the Chiefs go after Tyreek Hill, Keenan Allen, or Stefon Diggs and feel confident that their other guys can cover the return role, that might leave Remigio without a seat at the table.
I don’t think Remigio is a bad player; I just don’t think he offers enough upside in enough areas at a time when the Chiefs need as much of it as possible.
Of course, that could still change. Maybe during training camp and the preseason games, Remigio will show that he’s so much better as a returner than anyone else that the Chiefs just have to give him a roster spot, or maybe he works in with the offense more and looks like a genuine wide receiver option, but I think both are unlikely.
We’ll find out in six weeks’ time if Remigio will be on the roster or not, but heading into training camp, his seat could be the hottest of the lot.
Hot seat verdict: With limited contributions on offense and middling numbers as a returner, Remigio’s seat heading into training camp is hotter than a dozen Carolina Reaper chilies. 8/10.
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