Chiefs Rumors: Mahomes shocked by Jones, Brittany Mahomes correction, Karlaftis update

Kansas City Chiefs Rumors: George Karlaftis returns to practice

Kansas City Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis is expected to return to practice this week after an illness kept him out. Karlaftis was among a group of eight Chiefs who missed practice on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Kansas City fans expect a Year 2 jump from Karlaftis, who impressed some in his rookie season in limited playing time. The former No. 21 overall pick was able to learn from Frank Clark and Chris Jones, two of the best pass rushers in the business, and now is ready to make a name for himself

“Just to experience every one of those games and go into the offseason — watching film, taking those mental reps in the offseason, then enhancing your physical just builds you up for a bigger and better season,” Karlaftis said. “Anything you can do really to help the team.”

With Jones holding out through training camp and potentially into the regular season, the Chiefs will need players like Karlaftis to pick up the extra weight. Jones had over 15 sacks last season, and while Patrick Mahomes and KC's offense can score with any team in football, they need to be able to rush the passer to get the ball back in Mahomes's hands.

While Karlaftis only had 4.5 sacks in his final season at Purdue, that was largely because he was facing double and triple teams. Assuming Jones does come back at some point, he should find rushing the passer in the NFL surprisingly refreshing for a younger player.