The Kansas City Chiefs are entering the second half of their 2026 season.
At 6-2, they will try to finish ahead of the 7-2 Denver Broncos to win the AFC West. It won’t be easy, as the Chiefs have one of the toughest remaining schedules in the NFL. They’re going to need some guys to step up in a big way.
Kansas City Chiefs DE R Mason Thomas Predicted for Second-Half Season Breakout
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler made several predictions for how he believes the second half of the season will unfold. He based several of them off of what executives and scouts from around the league have told him. While identifying some ascending rookies, defensive end R Mason Thomas was pointed out.
“On defense, evaluators are watching Kansas City’s R Mason Thomas closely. The second-round pick has only one sack but untapped potential with impressive get-off. ‘It’s a matter of time for him,’ an NFC scout said.”
Thomas’ NFL debut in Week 1 was exciting, recording a sack, tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit. However, he has been a bit quiet since then. Thomas hasn’t been able to log another sack, but does have nine total quarterback pressures and two batted passes. If he can start getting all the way home with sacks, Thomas will be a force.
Other Chiefs DL Are Getting Hot
A sign that Thomas could be close to breaking it is that other Kansas City pass rushers have put things together over the past few weeks. During last week’s win over the New York Jets, George Karlaftis and Chris Jones posted two sacks each. Ashton Gillotte also picked up his second sack of the season.
That could open things up for Thomas, especially if the Chiefs’ defense can get can opposing offenses in third-and-long situations. Thomas admitted he has been frustrated with his lack of recent production, but is confident he will have a breakthrough as he continues to get comfortable in the system.
“Of course you want to get there every snap,” Thomas said. “That’s not reality, though. Especially if they get the ball out fast. It’s not humanly possible to get there in under two seconds. I get frustrated, but growing pains, going through it, making those mistakes and learning from it, hopefully we can get after it these next 10 games.”
‘It’s a Matter of Time for Him’ — Chiefs Rookie Predicted for 2nd-Half Breakout