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With just over a week to go until opening night of the 2023 NFL regular season, Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach spoke with the media on Wednesday. Mainly, there were plenty of difficult decisions to make, regarding the 53-man roster, as the GM talked about. There were a few other topics that Veach touched on yesterday that stood out. First off, the latest on Chris Jones is obviously noteworthy. We also received some important updates regarding injuries for certain players that missed time in training camp.
What were some of the most notable topics discussed in the Brett Veach press conference from Wednesday? We will list that in today's press conference roundup. Let's kick it off.
Chris Jones Latest
The situation surrounding Chiefs star defensive tackle Chris Jones has been evolving throughout the entire offseason. He held out from all of training camp and the preseason. At some points, it felt like there was optimism in a deal getting done well before the start of the regular season. The clock is ticking feverishly towards opening night with a deal still not in place, however.
On Wednesday, Veach actually expressed some sense of optimism regarding Chris Jones. On the topic of him being there for the regular season opener, Veach said, "we're certainly hopeful for that."
"We have been in communication, actually in the last two days. We've been in more communication. We're going to continue to press on and work hard," he said. "We're going to keep working on this thing. Hopefully, he's in the lineup and ready to go."
Overall, it is anyone's guess as to what will ultimately happen. Jones wants to attempt to reset the market at defensive tackle. Deadlines will spur deals. Will this recent communication actually lead to a signing on a new extension?
Key Injury Updates
Throughout various points of training camp, a select set of Chiefs players missed time with injuries. Kadarius Toney tweaked his knee while shagging punts early on. In the end, he had to undergo surgery to cleanup a knee that had been worked on not too long ago. Elsewhere, cornerback L'Jarius Sneed has dealt with a knee injury of his own during training camp. Thankfully, there appears to be little to no worry about the status of these two.
"I don't want to speak for the coaches or for Rick (Burkholder, Chiefs head athletic trainer). But, they have a good chance to be where they need to be Week 1. They certainly have a chance (to play Thursday)."
Brett Veach also added that both players should be able to see the practice field heading into opening night. That is about as good of news as you could have hoped for. Having Toney and Sneed ready right away is a major boost for Kansas City against the Detroit Lions.
Chiefs Wide Receivers And Their Roles
One of the most competitive training camp battles for the Kansas City Chiefs was the wide receiver position. As mentioned in our 53-man roster takeaway article yesterday, this is the first time that Kansas City has kept seven wide receivers on the 53-man roster to open a season under Andy Reid. Brett Veach talked about the wide receiver depth.
"We have a talented, deep receiving corps. They're all different in their ways. We'll have a core group of guys that can handle every package and be involved in every package."
Of course, one name that has received plenty of buzz is Justyn Ross. A college star on the field for Clemson, Ross endured challenging injuries during his college career. He also suffered another injury as a rookie undrafted free agent last year, forcing him to miss all of 2022. Fast forward to 2023, Ross is healthy, ready to roll and continues to build momentum heading into the season. With that momentum building, Veach discussed Ross individually.
"Halfway through OTAs, you could really see him start to get that confidence up and that belief up. He's just progressively gotten better. You'll see him probably have certain packages. That will lead into more utilization within the offense and graduating from a package player to an every down receiver."
Deciding To Trade Ihmir Smith-Marsette
Even with a strong preseason showing, it appeared that there was just not enough room for wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette. The Chiefs were not going to be able to keep him. And sure, the trade return will not blow anyone away. Yet, Kansas City has been able to find great players at anywhere in the draft. Trading Smith-Marsette for a seventh-round pick could still be more beneficial than just cutting him on cut down day.
What went into the decision to trade this player? Plus, how did Smith-Marsette perhaps catch the attention of the Carolina Panthers, the team that traded for him? Brett Veach answered those questions on Wednesday.
"The wide receiver room was filled with tough decisions. He took advantage of every opportunity," Veach said. "We typically keep five or six wide receivers. When I talked to him about the trade, I told him he's earned that and he doesn't have to worry and stress on that cut down day. He came in here with the right mindset. He made it tough on us and showcased his talent to other teams."
Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles and analysis throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.
– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.
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