KANSAS CITY Juan Thornhill Jersey Mens , Mo. (AP) — Offensive lineman Jeff Allen spent most of the offseason baking cookies with his wife, who began a business back home in Texas, and it may have turned out to be good for his waist line.The last thing Allen wanted to do after hours in the kitchen was eat one of those cookies.As much fun as he had, though, he was happy to exchange his chef’s hat for a football helmet again when the Kansas City Chiefs called him recently. Allen was drafted by the franchise in 2012, and played his first four seasons at Arrowhead Stadium, before a two-year detour with the Houston Texans.Allen rejoined the Chiefs last season to provide some much-needed depth, but the one-year contract meant he was left to spend the offseason baking cookies.At least until the Chiefs summoned him once more to provide some veteran help along the line.“Between me and my family, we felt like this is the opportunity where I get a chance to win a Super Bowl with a great organization, with great people,” Allen said after arriving this week. “People that we love and like, good teammates, good coaches Bashaud Breeland Jersey , front office, everything.”Allen wasn’t the only new/old face. While he was practicing for the first time Tuesday, the Chiefs were wrapping up the details that brought wide receiver De’Anthony Thomas back to the roster.Thomas actually ran onto the field right in the middle of the workout, diving right in.Just like with Allen, the speedster has a long history in Kansas City. He was drafted by the club in 2014, played four seasons under his rookie contract, then came back last season on a one-year deal.The Chiefs have gotten thin at wide receiver with injuries to backups Gehrig Dieter and Marcus Kemp, so bringing Thomas back made sense. But the club waited until deep into training camp because they also wanted to make sure the leg Thomas broke last season was fully healed.“It’s really been up in the air,” he said, “but I just stayed patient. I disciplined myself by just training my body and stuff like that, just getting ready. I never knew what was going to happen. I just stayed focused, stayed disciplined and just handled what I had to do.”The fact that Allen and Thomas are experienced with the playbook has helped them get up to speed quickly, and there’s a chance they could play in Saturday night’s preseason game against San Francisco.“I’ll say this: De’Anthony is a football player. He fell right in Anthony Sherman Jersey ,” offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said. “He’s been with our organization for a number of years. He knows the culture. He knows the system. He understands how we do things. It’s important to get somebody back, but also somebody that can bring some juice. This kid loves to play football. He loves to practice. He enjoys it.”Neither veteran is expected to be a crucial cog in what the Chiefs have turned into a high-octane offense. But in Allen, the Chiefs added a knowledgeable offensive lineman capable of playing multiple positions, and in Thomas, they added a pass-catching threat who can assist on special teams.“I’ve said this before, but he was pound for pound probably the toughest player that we had last year,” special teams coach Dave Toub said. “He’s not just a returner, he’s a punter guy, he’s a gunner, he’s a kickoff and he can block. He is not afraid to stick his head in there.”Rarely do teams expected to contend for the Super Bowl bring in players midway through camp, unless injuries or other unforeseen circumstances arise. But the return of Allen and Thomas are not so much reasons for concern as they are a boost to the bottom of the depth chart.“There’s that senior leadership that has been through it before,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “Jeff was here in my first year, (Thomas) came just a little bit after that. It’s good to have them back out here. They’re competing and working to make the team. That’s what they’re doing.”NOTES: Dieter (back) Dustin Colquitt Jersey , TEs John Lovett (shoulder) and Deon Yelder (ankle), DB Michael Hunter (groin) and DL Breeland Speaks (knee) did not practice Thursday. … Reid said that SS Tyrann Mathieu (shoulder) may be held out of Saturday night’s game, even though he was a full participant in the workout. … The Chiefs had a recent visit from Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre, who had a chance to sit down with quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Reid coached Favre in Green Bay, and the three-time MVP and Mahomes have often been compared to each other. “There are not a lot of people that walk in those shoes,” Reid said. “It’s nice for him to see Brett is a guy — he’s a good person, still has fun, all those things. Humble guy.” Keenan Allen enjoys dissing Chris Harris Jr., who relishes dismissing Keenan Allen.Their rivalry provides one of the more intriguing plot lines Sunday when the bumbling Los Angeles Chargers (4-7) visit the bungling Denver Broncos (3-8) in a matchup of AFC West also-rans.Denver’s star cornerback was primarily responsible for checkmating the Chargers’ star wideout last time the teams met in Week 5, when Harris helped hold the league's top receiver at the time to 18 yards on four catches in a 20-13 Broncos victory.Afterward, Allen voiced his displeasure over his stat line on social media, commenting on an Instagram post of a Chris Harris Jr. fan account: "Now, y'all know damn well that boy can't hold my jockstrap. Stop it."Allen confirmed those comments in the locker room later that week Rashad Fenton Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys , suggesting reporters "just watch the tape" for proof.That tape showed Allen held in check, catching four of the six passes Philip Rivers threw him that day, when the Chargers failed to score an offensive touchdown.Harris brushed aside Allen's disrespect with a shrug, suggesting he had no idea what Allen was talking about."I've locked him up numerous times. I don't even know how many times I've shut him down," Harris said back in October. "There's nothing to really talk about with him. I'm ready for Tyreek Hill."The episode was raised again this week ahead of the rivals' rematch, and Harris again threw shade on his opponent who belittled the Broncos' last-second 23-22 win in Los Angeles last year by proclaiming, "They suck.""It's always different when we play the Chargers," Harris said. "It's a rivalry game. Of course, he was talking a lot of mash last game, so everybody is going to be tuning into our matchup. But it's about the team. We've got to go out there and prepare as a team, have a great preparation this week and get ready for Rivers."Other subplots in the 121st edition of the AFC West rivalry:QUARTERBACK COMPETITION Rookie Drew Lock shared snaps with fill-in quarterback Brandon Allen at practice during the week following Allen's poor performance at Buffalo, where he completed 10 passes for 84 yards in a 20-3 loss. Allen replaced Joe Flacco (neck) at the season's midpoint, becoming Denver's sixth starting quarterback since Peyton Manning's retirement in 2016. The Broncos' 134 yards of total offense were the lowest in the NFL in 26 years.REINFORCEMENTS READYThe Chargers are finally getting things together at safety Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys 2019 , where Adrian Phillips has been out since breaking his right forearm during the fourth quarter of a Week 2 loss at Detroit. Derwin James sustained a stress fracture in his right foot during joint practices with the New Orleans Saints on Aug. 15. Despite not having James and Phillips for most of the year, the Chargers are fifth in the league in defense and fourth against the pass.ROCKY RIVERSRivers has thrown seven interceptions in his last two games, the worst slump of his 16-year career. Rivers had the ball and a chance to avoid defeats in both games, a 26-24 loss at Oakland and a 24-17 loss to the Chiefs in Mexico City. Both times he ended the Chargers' chances with interceptions. Safeties Karl Joseph of the Raiders and Daniel Sorensen of the Chiefs both picked him off in the final half-minute.MILLER TIME OFFVon Miller limped out of Buffalo, but Broncos coach Vic Fangio insisted it was nothing major. Miller appeared to prove that point by frolicking in the frosty weather Tuesday. He was shirtless and in shorts as he walked across the players' parking lot to the weight room despite a storm that dumped more than a foot of snow. Then he flexed into the reflective glass. However, Miller did miss his second Wednesday workout this season.MIDDLE MANBroncos inside linebacker Alexander Johnson's debut against the Chargers in Week 5 featured two pass breakups, an interception and eight stops. He now has 61 tackles, including a career-best 15 at Buffalo last week."Every week you can see him picking up the scheme better and better and learning his assignment and his job," safety Justin Simmons said. "He's playing fast and physical. ... He causes so much gray area for the quarterback that it makes our job that much easier in the back end."AP Sports Writer Joe Reedy contributed.Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton