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5 Kansas City Chiefs roster battles fans need to watch this summer

Published

2 years ago

May 14, 2024

5 Kansas City Chiefs roster battles fans need to watch this summer

The Kansas City Chiefs’ work is never done, even with the first game not for many more months. While we wait for who they play in Week 1, the organization is readying for the dog days of summer where much of the roster takes shape.

If you pull up Kansas City’s depth chart on their team website, you will notice plenty of open spots in the starting roles. I mean, there is no point in updating the depth chart right now, but it is an ironic representation of how many jobs are up[ for grabs right now. Between departing free agents and underperformers, Chiefs Kingdom deserves to see some new blood in the starting 25.

Not all of these battles are for the top dog, but still important roles nonetheless. Let’s take a look at the five roster battles you need to watch this offseason.

Primary participants: Matt Araiza, Ryan Rehkow

The punting battle brewing in Kansas City is not your typical camp news—it promises to be an entertaining showdown. Chiefs Kingdom rejoiced when Veach added “Punt God” Matt Araiza to the roster, with his legal issues behind him. The Buffalo Bills released their 2022 sixth-round pick, who had been named their starting punter, following allegations from 2022, despite already having assigned him the role. With the lawsuits settled in December 2023, Araiza had a clear road back to the NFL.

Araiza’s collegiate resume is impressive, boasting achievements like being a unanimous All-American and clinching the 2021 Ray Guy Award for the nation’s top collegiate punter. But professional sports is all about what a player has done lately, and it will be nearly two years between Araiza’s preseason with Buffalo and his performance in St. Joseph. Camp competition is always good, but Veach brought in an insurance policy for Araiza in rookie Ryan Rehkow.

The BYU alum signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chiefs after spending four years with the Cougars. He played in 50 games, landing on the Ray Guy Award watch list for three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023. In 2023, he concluded the season as the Big 12’s top punter, maintaining an average of 48.4 yards per punt, a feat that also secured him the second position nationally. His 31 punts greater than 50 yards led the conference by a wide margin as well. Rehkow has a powerful leg, one that could rival the rusty Araiza.

Tommy Townsend became a first-team All-Pro after the Chiefs signed him as an undrafted free agent a few years ago. Townsend signed with the Houston Texans at the beginning of the season, which opened up a spot alongside Harrison Butker. Araiza and Rehkow both have booming legs, with their drawbacks. In any case, Kansas City boasts two exceptional punting options to kick off the summer.

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RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Friday after Tuesday sub-state wins

Published

13 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Friday after Tuesday sub-state wins

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Below is a look at the results from Tuesday night’s high school basketball sub-state semifinals in Northeast Kansas.

Editor’s Note: This story will be updated with what schools are hosting when that information becomes readily available.

WIBW Scoreboard

BOYS

5A East Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

KC Washington 68, Highland Park 38
Shawnee Heights 49, De Soto 37 (will play Leavenworth Friday)

5A West Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Topeka West 55, Hutchinson 32 (will play Bishop Carroll Friday)
Emporia 61, Great Bend 41 (will play Maize South Friday)
Seaman 73, Valley Center 51 (will play Hays Friday)

3A West Franklin Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Burlington 60, Osage City 35 (will play Baxter Springs Friday)

3A Sabetha Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Hiawatha 73, Oskaloosa 48 (will play Heritage Christian Friday)
Silver Lake 58, Sabetha 39 (will play Perry-Lecompton Friday 7:30 p.m.)

GIRLS

6A West Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Washburn Rural 60, Wichita South 32 (will play Derby)
Topeka High 69, Maize 45 (will play Liberal)
Manhattan 67, Free State 21 (will play Wichita East)

4A East Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Rock Creek 71, Parsons 23 (will play Tonganoxie)
Wamego 54, Labette County 33 (will play Bishop Miege)
Hayden 2, Athison 0 (will play Baldwin)

2A Eskridge/Mission Valley Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Rossville 71, KC Christian 49 (will play Maur Hill-Mount Academy)
Lyndon 61, Jeff. Co. North 31 (will play Valley Heights)
Valley Heights 65, Doniphan West 41 (will play Lyndon)

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Doe v. State of Kansas | American Civil Liberties Union

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Doe v. State of Kansas | American Civil Liberties Union

In early 2026, the Kansas state legislature passed SB 244, a law which prohibits transgender people from using public restrooms on government property that align with their gender identity and establishes a private right of action that allows anyone who suspects someone is transgender and in violation of the law to sue that person for “damages” totaling $1,000.

The law also invalidates state-issued driver’s licenses with updated gender markers that reflect the carrier’s gender identity. In February 2026, transgender people across the state received letters from the state Department of Revenue’s Division of Vehicles informing them that their driver’s licenses “will no longer be valid,” effective immediately. SB 244 also prohibits transgender Kansans – or those born in Kansas – from updating the gender marker on state-issued birth certificates and driver’s licenses in the future.

The same day SB 244 went into effect, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Kansas, and Ballard Spahr LLP filed a lawsuit challenging SB 244 in the District Court of Douglas County on behalf of two transgender men who had their driver’s licenses invalidated under the law. The lawsuit charges that SB 244 violates the Kansas Constitution’s protections for personal autonomy, privacy, equality under the law, due process, and freedom of speech.

“The invalidation of state-issued IDs threatens to out transgender people against their will every time they apply for a job, rent an apartment, or interact with police,” said Harper Seldin, Senior Staff Attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Rights Project. “Taken as a whole, SB 244 is a transparent attempt to deny transgender people autonomy over their own identities and push them out of public life altogether.”

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Kansas City man sentenced for cocaine trafficking, possession of illegal firearm

Published

2 days ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Kansas City man sentenced for cocaine trafficking, possession of illegal firearm

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A Kansas City man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy and possession of an illegal firearm.

According to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, 22-year-old Antoine R. Gillum was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole.

His sentencing stems from a June 2024 incident in a metro gas station. KCPD investigators contacted Gillum inside and found that he had discarded a 9 mm pistol in an aisle between the merchandise. He also discarded a pill bottle containing multiple illegal substances: cocaine base, oxycodone/acetaminophen and oxycodone.

Officers searched the vehicle Gillum had arrived in and found approximately 32 grams of cocaine base.

On May 6, 2025, Gillum pleaded guilty to one count each of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Jennings. It’s a part of ‘Operation Take Back America,’ a nationwide Department of Justice initiative to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations.

No further information has been released.

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