KANSAS CITY http://www.chiefslockerroom.com/authentic-breeland-speaks-jersey , Mo. — Byron Pringle was all smiles in the Kansas City Chiefs’ locker room, the second-year wide receiver still buoyant over his jet-sweep touchdown in a preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers.“It means a lot,” he said, “because it was always my dream to become a professional athlete. A lot of people in my area look up to me. re I’m from. As long as I’m doing well, everybody back home is doing well, and they have a positive mindset.”Well, all those family and friends living along the Gulf coast of Florida are probably smiling, too.Not only did Pringle score a touchdown Saturday night, he also provided another reason for the Chiefs to keep him around when roster cuts are due this weekend. Pringle is competing with a handful of guys for one of the last spots on the roster, and right now he could be on the good side of the cut line.Of course, that could change Thursday night.Pringle and the rest of the backups are likely to get all the snaps when the Chiefs play their final preseason game in Green Bay. Patrick Mahomes and the other starters will get the night off to avoid injuries and begin preparing for their season opener Sept. 8 at Jacksonville. But the fourth preseason game will be crucial for the guys trying to carve out a final spot on the roster. One of those positions is almost certainly wide receiver.Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Demarcus Robinson and rookie Mecole Hardman are the guarantees, but the Chiefs will probably keep just two more. They just signed De’Anthony Thomas, who provides not only veteran experience but special teams ability, leaving one more spot on the roster.Pringle appears to be the front-runner.Other offensive positions that are intriguing are along the line, where a handful of guys are trying to earn a backup job, and tight end, where Blake Bell has taken over the No. 2 job from Deon Yelder.Bell earned the majority of playing time behind Travis Kelce against the 49ers, making it clear that he is the lead candidate to replace the departed Demetrius Harris. Bell may be on his fourth team in five seasons, but the former Oklahoma quarterback may have found the right opportunity in Kansas City.“Adapting to the team and dealing with what Pat and the quarterbacks see, and learning the offense every day — you have to figure out how they see things and how the offense is run,” Bell said. “Each and every day Womens Tanoh Kpassagnon Jersey , I’m trying to get better at something.”The final preseason game also could be the last chance for Carlos Hyde to prove his worth to the Chiefs. The veteran running back signed with the belief that he could back up Damien Williams. But he has struggled to produce in practice and the first three preseason games, and has been surpassed in touches — if not the depth chart — by Darrell Williams and rookie Darwin Thompson.Meanwhile, Thompson’s star is on the rise, and he could get a long look in Green Bay as a change-up in the Kansas City offense. The pint-sized Utah State product has the speed, hands and underrated ability to pick up the blitz that makes him invaluable in the passing game.“Just getting my feet wet,” Thompson said. “A little bit more comfortable with running the plays in a live situation, knowing they’re trying to take my head off. Come regular season, I’ll be ready.”There are also a handful of defensive guys trying to make one last impression Thursday night.The pecking order up front has mostly been established, but Anthony Hitchens and Reggie Ragland have hardly been impressive at linebacker. Ben Niemann and Darron Lee are listed behind them on the depth chart, and both could be pushing for more playing time in the Chiefs’ base 4-3 defense.In the defensive backfield, Charvarius Ward is being pushed by Herb Miller for a backup cornerback spot, and Jordan Lucas and Armani Watts have been competing for a backup safety job.“You’re looking for if the guys are learning from a week-to-week progression. Is this guy making the same mistakes that he has been coached not to make?” said defensive end Frank Clark, whose starting job is secure. “A lot of the guys are starting to come along in that matter. Even for myself, it’s a new system, new coach, it’s the first year, so everything is getting thrown at us fast, but I feel like everyone, for the most part, is processing everything and doing their best to go out there and showcase on the field.”NOTES: QB Matt Moore practiced for the first time Tuesday after agreeing to a deal following an injury to backup Chad Henne. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he will not play in Green Bay. … QBs Kyle Shurmur and Chase Litton will each get a half against the Packers, Reid said. … TE John Lovett (shoulder) was placed on injured reserve, creating Moore’s spot on the roster.49<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:Greetings from St. Joe: Chiefs training camp 2019Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports | Denny Medley ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The back stories of safety Tyrann Mathieu and defensive end Frank Clark are remarkably similar Eric Fisher Jersey , starting with their rocky rides through college and right into their NFL stardom.So it makes sense that the Kansas City Chiefs are counting on both of them to provide not only playmaking but also leadership for a defense that has undergone a top-to-bottom transformation.The Chiefs signed Mathieu in March to a $42 million, three-year contract to replace the oft-injured Eric Berry at the back end of new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s 4-3 scheme. Then in April, the Chiefs acquired Clark from Seattle and lavished on him a $105 million, five-year deal.Big money for what the Chiefs hope is a big payoff.“It’s really trying to build a defense with an attitude,” said Mathieu, who spent last season with Houston after a solid run in Arizona. “Any time you can have 10 or 11 guys with a chip on their shoulder, with an edge, a certain kind of presence, a certain kind of attitude, a certain kind of swagger, you can create a collective identity, and I think that’s really what we’re trying to do.”Make no mistake: Mathieu and Clark both have razor-sharp edges.Mathieu’s can be traced to Aug. 10, 2012, when then-LSU coach Les Miles announced that the star safety would be dismissed from the program for a violation of team rules. Mathieu was coming off one of the best seasons in school history, one that earned him the Bednarik Award as the best defensive player in the nation and made him a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.Mathieu, who still cannot shake the nickname “the Honey Badger,” eventually entered a drug rehab program, then declared for the NFL draft. He wound up going in the third round to the Cardinals, even though his game-changing ability a year earlier would have made him a first-round pick.Not only did he stay out of trouble, he used that chip on his shoulder to thrive in Arizona.Despite missing time after tearing ligaments in his knee, Mathieu put up such solid numbers that the Cardinals gave him $62.5 million, five-year extension. But major changes within the organization led it to ask Mathieu to take a pay cut, and he was released when he ultimately refused.Consider that another chip on his shoulder.After making 89 tackles http://www.chiefslockerroom.com/authentic-jarvis-jenkins-jersey , three sacks and a pair of interceptions in a prove-it year with Houston, the Chiefs made Mathieu one of their offseason priorities as they attempted to shore up a defense that held back one of the NFL’s best offenses a year ago — and may have cost them a Super Bowl trip.“A lot of people put a lot of pressure on us,” Mathieu said, “whether it be ourselves or outside noise. It’s the same game we’ve been playing since we were 5 years old, so just go out there and really have some fun, have some swagger, and you know, just have some juice.”Clark certainly plays with that kind of juice, owed in part to his own college transgressions.The defensive end had blossomed into an All-Big 10 star at Michigan over his first three seasons, and appeared poised for a big senior year. But on Nov. 16, 2014, he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence and ultimately kicked out of the Wolverines’ program.Clark soon declared for the draft and went in the second round to Seattle, where he became a key part of the “Legion of Boom” defense. And like Mathieu, he largely stayed out of trouble — a Twitter spat with a reporter has been his biggest indiscretion — and put up such impressive numbers that the Seahawks placed the franchise tag on him after he racked up 13 sacks last season.That’s when the Chiefs engineered a trade and signed Clark to a massive extension.“‘Fun’ is a good word. He likes to have fun,” Spagnuolo said. “The guys that are securely confident in their abilities and in what they’re doing, they go out and have fun. I just embraced them just a little bit ago because they battled, the O-Line and D-Line today, and it gets a little contentious. But at the end of coach (Andy) Reid’s huddle, Frank went over and was tapping all of the offensive linemen. That’s a team player right there. That’ll make us better as a football team.”Mathieu and Clark both intend to make Kansas City better as a football team.Along with a new coordinator and new system, the Chiefs’ defense could have as many as eight new starters this season. And with that massive turnover comes a crucial need for leaders.“The Honey Badger jumps out at you as being one. I think that will continue to grow. Frank is another one,” Reid said. “We have other guys that are pretty good leaders, too. But I’d probably tell you that those are more of the bigger personalities.”