With their first and only road trip waiting for them heading into the second weekend of the preseason schedule, the Kansas City Chiefs have a number of players who won't be available for their exhibition against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Chiefs head coach Reid clarified the list of those who won't be taking the field on Thursday, the team's final day of training camp in St. Joseph.
The Chiefs visit the Bucs on Saturday, August 22 and then host the Seattle Seahawks six days later on Friday, August 28. That means the coaching staff and front office have some roster gymnastics to work out to make sure they can field a healthy team while thinking about the long-term ramifications of player readiness.
Here's a full rundown of the Chiefs players who will be sitting out of Preseason Week 2 against the Buccaneers, in alphabetical order.
Jeff Caldwell, WR
Caldwell's signing with the Chiefs turned the heads of draftniks due to his impressive athletic potential, but he's been a quiet performer at training camp so far. Now he's dealing with a hyperextended knee, which will keep him from taking advantage of any remaining opportunities to make his case for a practice squad spot. Will the Chiefs stick him on IR for the year?
Jack Cochrane, LB
The Chiefs signed Cam Jones this week in response to Cochrane's injury, so it's no surprise that the veteran linebacker will sit out of the Chiefs-Bucs game. The bigger question related to Cochrane is whether or not he'll be placed on injured reserve, since the Chiefs have already adjusted the roster to his status.
Chamarri Conner, S
Conner already sat out the first preseason game with a knee injury after colliding with wide receiver Tyquan Thornton earlier in camp. Reid said the team tried to ease Conner back into the practice routine, but had to ease off of those hopes. It makes perfect sense to rest him over another weekend to see how his knee responds.
Ashton Gillotte, DE
No surprises here. That Gillotte isn't hitting injured reserve immediately is interesting, since the healing time for a ruptured plantar fascia could extend for quite a while. That said, the Chiefs are holding out hope that Gillotte can return in time for the start of the season (September 14). For now, Chiefs Kingdom won't be seeing anything from the second-year lineman for the rest of the preseason.
Jimmy Holiday, WR
Holiday had some nice moments earlier in the offseason, but a quad/groin injury has kept him out since leaving practice early on August 11. Any chance of competing for an active roster spot were already long, but Holiday has a real shot at sticking on the practice squad once again. Perhaps an IR stash? At the very least, he's out for another preseason game.
Patrick Mahomes, QB
Mahomes has a clean bill of health, but that didn't change Andy Reid's mind in terms of whether or not to allow his star quarterback to earn some playing time in the preseason. Reid is taking the wise, cautious approach to bringing Mahomes back a season abbreviated by torn knee ligaments. This mens Chiefs fans will see Justin Fields, Garrett Nussmeier, and Chris Oladokun once again versus the Bucs.
Josh Simmons, OT
The Chiefs are insistent on describing Josh Simmons' back injury as something non-serious, but the team's franchise tackle has missed a few practices already and will now sit out of the road trip to Tampa Bay. While some reps might be helpful for a younger player like Simmons, who was the team's first-round pick in 2025, the Chiefs are clearly waiting for him to be completely healthy before asking anything more of him to avoid any lingering concerns.
Trey Smith, OL
Speaking of o-line injuries being framed as minor, Trey Smith's hip injury has already knocked him out of two weeks of training camp, including the opening exhibition against the L.A. Rams. Still, Reid is sunny about Smith's outlook even as he keeps the Pro Bowl guard out for another game on Saturday.
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