Latest On Chiefs’ Demarcus Robinson, Daniel Kilgore
Good news for the Chiefs. Wide receiver Demarcus Robinson and center Daniel Kilgore have tested negative every day since their close contact situation last week, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). Barring any changes, Robinson will be able to rejoin the team on Friday. Kilgore, who needs an extra day to clear, is on track to reunite with his teammates on Saturday. 
[RELATED: Mutual Interest Between Sammy Watkins, Chiefs On New Contract]
Both players received haircuts last weekend from a barber who tested positive, putting their Super Bowl status in jeopardy. Losing Robinson would have been especially tough for the Chiefs. This year, he ranked third in receptions behind only Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. In total, he turned in a 45/466/3 stat line, marking the best season of his career to date. He should be set to share No. 3 WR duties with Mecole Hardman, giving the Bucs’ secondary yet another headache to manage.
Kilgore, 33, suited up in seven games for the Chiefs this year and started only four times. But, with right tackle Mitchell Schwartz on the shelf, the offensive line is being reshuffled, so the Chiefs need him more than ever. By the skin of his teeth, Kilgore is expected to get the green light for Sunday.
Mutual Interest Between Sammy Watkins, Chiefs On New Contract
Sammy Watkins will be a free agent in March, with the former top-five pick’s current Chiefs agreement running through Super Bowl LV. While the veteran has struggled to stay healthy throughout his Kansas City tenure, he has emerged for some big performances in high-stakes spots.
The seventh-year wideout is on track to return for the Super Bowl after missing both prior Chiefs playoff games, but he could well head into free agency alongside receivers who have established more momentum and hit the market in a year in which the salary cap is expected to drop. Watkins agreed to a pay cut to stay with the Chiefs this season; the franchise’s success will impact his choice going forward.
“I would say, let’s win this Super Bowl and see where my head will be at,” Watkins said, via ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher. “It would definitely be something to think about. It would definitely be something I would talk to my wife and my kids about, to think about coming back. Would I love a third ring? For sure. I would definitely not say no about it.”
One of Brett Veach‘s first big moves as GM was giving Watkins a surprising $16MM-per-year contract. While the former Bills draftee did not live up to that deal on a statistical basis, failing to top 700 receiving yards in any of his three Chiefs seasons, Watkins delivered in the 2018 and ’19 playoffs. The former Clemson star has surpassed 60 yards in each of his five Chiefs playoff games, going north of 75 in his past four. The 27-year-old No. 2 wideout missed six games this season, however, due to multiple injuries and only caught 37 passes for 421 yards.
The Chiefs reached high-profile extensions with Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones and Travis Kelce last year, which will make big-ticket free agency acquisitions sparser going forward. But Watkins will almost certainly command far less than he did in 2018. If the sides can likely agree on a lower number, Veach is interested in bringing Watkins back.
“Sammy is a big part of this offense. When he’s healthy, we’re better,” Veach said, via Teicher (on Twitter). “If there’s a way we can make it work again, we’ll certainly try to do that. I love having him around.”
Before any roster cuts, extensions or franchise tags commence, Watkins would be off the top tier of free agent receivers. Chris Godwin, Kenny Golladay, Allen Robinson, Will Fuller, Marvin Jones, Curtis Samuel, Antonio Brown, T.Y. Hilton and A.J. Green are also set for free agency. Not all be available come March, but this depth — and recent drafts producing several quick-study wideouts on rookie deals — stands to create a buyer’s market.
Eagles Didn’t Request Eric Bieniemy Interview
Before they ultimately hired Nick Sirianni, we heard the Eagles had requested an interview with Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for their head coaching vacancy. That apparently wasn’t the case.
Speaking at one of his Super Bowl week media availabilities, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said that Philly never submitted an interview request for Bieniemy, per Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com (Twitter link). There has been some buzz that the Eagles didn’t want to pull from the Reid coaching tree again (like they did with Doug Pederson), but Reid said he hasn’t heard anything to suggest that.
This would mean the Eagles were on an island on this one. All six other teams that had head coaching openings submitted a request to interview Bieniemy, who has been a hot name the past couple of cycles but hasn’t been able to secure a top job. It’s especially surprising considering the Eagles seemed determined to cast a wide net in their search, interviewing a slew of candidates who weren’t known to be on the radar elsewhere.
Guys like Josh McDaniels, Jerod Mayo, and Dennis Allen, who didn’t draw much known interest from other teams, all interviewed with the Eagles for the gig. Reid has long lobbied for Bieniemy to get a head coaching job, so he was probably annoyed that his former team never actually put in the effort to submit an interview request.
Antonio Brown, Sammy Watkins On Track For Super Bowl
Wide receiver Sammy Watkins participated in the Chiefs’ Wednesday practice, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Meanwhile, the Bucs also had one of their most dangerous weapons on hand. Antonio Brown practiced with the Buccaneers, though he was kept to light work as he recovers from a knee injury. 
Watkins has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career and hasn’t played a full 16-game season since his rookie campaign with the Bills back in 2014. Despite that, he remains a serious threat for any opposing defense. This year, Watkins was limited to nine regular season games and finished out with a modest 37/421/2 stat line. If his calf heals up in time for the Super Bowl, it’ll mark his first appearance in this year’s playoffs.
Brown missed the NFC championship game, but the Buccaneers still managed to edge the Packers and punch their ticket to the Super Bowl. In the regular season, the 32-year-old caught 45 passes for 483 yards and four touchdowns. His best game came in Week 17, when he hauled in eleven catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns as Mike Evans was held out.
Fortunately, Brown did not suffer serious structural damage, so the Bucs are hopeful that he can play. It also helps that they kept him grounded a couple of weeks ago to prevent additional swelling at higher altitude. If things keep going in this direction, Brown will be cleared for the second Super Bowl of his career.
No New COVID Cases For Chiefs, Bucs
The latest round of testing revealed no new COVID-19 positives for players on the Chiefs or Buccaneers, as NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Barring any hitches, both teams should be set for Super Bowl LV on Sunday.
[RELATED: Chiefs’ Mitchell Schwartz Out For Super Bowl?]
The Chiefs were forced to place two players — center Daniel Kilgore and wide receiver Demarcus Robinson — on the COVID-19/reserve list earlier this week. Fortunately, neither player has tested positive, though they were in close contact with a barber who tested positive for the coronavirus.
Close-contact situations require only a five-day clearance, so both players should be able to suit up if they continue to test negative. Kilgore has mostly been a reserve for Kansas City this season, but he’s a valuable backup, having started 13 games for the Dolphins last year. Also, the Chiefs will likely be without the services of right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, so they’ll want Kilgore at the ready. Robinson plays a large role, so the Chiefs don’t want to lose him either. Robinson appeared in all 16 regular season games this year, racking up 45 catches for 466 yards and three touchdowns.
Steve Spagnuolo Hoping For Another Head Coaching Job
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is focused on winning yet another Super Bowl on Sunday. But, sometime in the future, Spags would like to be a head coach again.
[RELATED: Chiefs Place Players On COVID List]
“I’d like to get another crack at a head-coaching job,” Spagnuolo said (via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post) “But…listen, I don’t stay up nights thinking about it.”
Spagnuolo, 61, served as the Rams’ head coach from 2009-2011. Unfortunately, his St. Louis teams combined to go 10-38 across three seasons. After that, he bounced around and returned to the Giants during the Ben McAdoo administration before joining up with old pal Andy Reid. Things have gone pretty well in KC, but Spagnuolo is still looking for a shot at redemption.
“I’m a competitor like anybody else,” Spagnuolo said. “It didn’t go as great as we wanted to in St. Louis, except for that one year. It’s a proving ground, the NFL is the greatest proving ground of all sports. So that part of it, I’d like another shot.”
Spagnuolo didn’t pop up in this past cycle, but he could garner attention next time around — especially if he’s able to keep a lid on Tom Brady this Sunday.
Chiefs Place Daniel Kilgore, Demarcus Robinson On Reserve/COVID-19 List
It’s far from a worst-case scenario, but COVID-19 issues are beginning to creep into the Super Bowl. The Chiefs have placed center Daniel Kilgore and receiver Demarcus Robinson on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The good news is that Schefter reports both are going on the list due to close contacts, and not positive tests. There’s only a five-day clearance period needed for close contacts, so if both players continue to test negative they’ll be able to rejoin the team this weekend before the game and suit up for Super Bowl LV. Kilgore started 13 games for the Dolphins last year, but he’s mostly been a reserve for Kansas City this season.
He’s appeared in seven games with four starts, although he hasn’t been counted on to start in the playoffs yet. Robinson plays a pretty large role, so the Chiefs certainly don’t want to lose him. He finished the regular season appearing in all 16 games with nine starts, racking up 45 catches for 466 yards and three touchdowns.
He only has three targets through Kansas City’s first two playoff games, but he played at least 65 percent of the offensive snaps in both of those games. We’ve got a long week left to go, but hopefully these are the only COVID-related issues that arise before the big game (knock on wood).
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/25/21
A day after they secured their trip to the Super Bowl, the Chiefs have made a change to their practice squad:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: OT Prince Tega Wanogho
The former Auburn standout was a sixth-round pick by the Eagles in this past year’s draft, and he spent the majority of the 2020 campaign on Philly’s practice squad. He caught on with Kansas City’s practice squad last week, providing the organization with some extra depth along the offensive line.
That depth will be tested during the Super Bowl, as we learned earlier today that left tackle Eric Fisher tore his Achilles in the AFC Championship Game. The team is also expected to be without right tackle Mitchell Schwartz during the championship game. Perhaps the team will look to sign a veteran offensive lineman to their practice squad with Wanogho’s former spot.
Chiefs’ Mitchell Schwartz Out For Super Bowl?
The Chiefs beat the Bills without the services of right tackle Mitchell Schwartz. Odds are, they’ll have to face the Buccaneers without him too. Head coach Andy Reid told reporters that he’s not “optimistic about” Schwartz’s chances of playing in the Super Bowl. (Twitter link via Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star). 
[RELATED: Chiefs’ Eric Fisher Tears Achilles]
Schwartz‘s iron-man streak was snapped at 134 games, thanks to an October back injury. The All-Pro blocker tackle has recovering since Week 6 and attempting to get back on the field. The 31-year-old, who has long been one of the NFL’s top right tackles, will likely wind up as a fan on Super Bowl Sunday.
Schwartz spent four years with the Browns before joining the Chiefs on a five-year, $33MM deal prior to the 2016 season. Then, in 2019, the Chiefs tacked on an additional year. He’s lived up to both contracts, though his back injury may impede him going forward.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs have also learned that they’ll be without left tackle Eric Fisher against the Bucs. After Fisher tore his Achilles against the Bills, the Chiefs placed Mike Remmers on the opposite side, kicked Andrew Wylie to the interior, and brought in swingman Stefen Wisniewski. That’ll be the likely arrangement on Feb. 7.
Chiefs’ Eric Fisher Tears Achilles
Chiefs left tackle Eric Fisher tore his Achilles in the AFC Championship Game, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This is the news that Andy Reid expected following Sunday’s win over the Bills. 
Fisher, of course, will be out of action when the Chiefs take on the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs were already playing without right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, and they could be sans both of their starting tackles in the title game. Following Fisher’s exit, the Chiefs moved right tackle Mike Remmers over to the left side, slotted RT Andrew Wylie at right guard, and brought in swingman Stefen Wisniewski to play RG. That’ll likely be the Chiefs’ game plan in Super Bowl LV if Schwartz is still out of action.
The Bucs have a dangerous duo on the edge in Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett, so they’ll be relying heavily on their pass protection. On the plus side, the Chiefs have been resilient throughout the year, despite playing with a weakened front five. Early on, they lost interior standout Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and rookie tackle Lucas Niang to COVID opt-outs. They also lost left guard Kelechi Osemele in October — none of that has stopped the Chiefs’ world-class offense.