Sun’s out, temps are soaring ... it’s time for the return of KC Chiefs training camp
The Chiefs open training camp for the 12th year at Missouri Western State University on Wednesday in St. Joseph.
The full pads won’t come on right away — the team considers these first few days an acclimation period, and it’s going to be plenty hot at Missouri Western. But the practice sessions will gradually ramp up, the intensity will heighten and the players will soon enough be ditching shorts for full gear and live contact.
This is when the true evaluation of player performance begins, a stark contrast to the less-intense organized team activities (OTAs) and mandatory minicamp sessions that took place this spring.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid were scheduled to meet with media on Friday as select players begin reporting to St. Joe.
“(OTAs) is one step,” Reid said recently as he looked forward to the full-contact nature of training camp. “The next step is you get banged around a little and your body is tired — how are you going to fight through it, mentally and physically?
“The pace at training camp is a lot more vigorous ... because of the contact.”
Camp will start sooner for some of the Chiefs. Mahomes and the team’s other quarterbacks, rookies and select other players report for duty on Friday, July 22. That group is expecting to get in a few days of on-field work at sessions that are closed to the public.
The rest of the team reports to Missouri Western on Monday. Once the full team is in place, the Chiefs will use the coming month to fully assess what they’ve got ahead of a series of league-mandated roster pare-downs ahead of the regular-season opener on Sept. 11 at the Arizona Cardinals.
With fans in attendance for most days of camp, the Chiefs will use the next several weeks to evaluate multiple position groups, including their wide receivers and defensive backs — two spots that have seen particularly substantial turnover of personnel.
With Mahomes at the helm, the Chiefs will remain one of the NFL’s most potent teams. They were one game away from advancing to a third straight Super Bowl appearance before losing to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game.
Truth be told, the Chiefs have been ready to return to the field for months now.
“You use it for some type of motivation,” Mahomes said of that loss to the Bengals. “In that second half, I didn’t play very good football at all — probably my worst playoff football I’ve ever played. ... So we’re just trying to use that as a learning thing.”
The learning continues with training camp and a slate of three preseason games, the first set for Aug. 13 in Chicago against the Bears.
Here are some key storylines to keep an eye on as camp gets underway.
MEDICAL WATCH
Reid said that “for the most part” he expects the multiple players who battled minor injuries during the offseason to be OK for the start of training camp.
That list includes first-round NFL Draft pick Trent McDuffie and veteran wide receiver Josh Gordon, both of whom missed time during the Chiefs’ mandatory minicamp in June. Cornerback Rashad Fenton (shoulder), tackle Lucas Niang (knee), rookie wide receiver Justyn Ross, tight end Blake Bell, defensive end Malik Herring and rookie cornerback Joshua Williams also missed some action during OTAs and mandatory minicamp.
Depending on where he’s at in his recovery process, Niang could be a candidate to start training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. He suffered a torn patellar tendon in last season’s regular-season finale.
Players on the PUP list are not allowed to practice until they are cleared by the Chiefs’ medical staff. In the event a player is not activated from the PUP list before the regular-season opener, he wouldn’t be allowed to practice with the team for the first six weeks of the regular season.
THREE BURNING ISSUES
1. NEW-LOOK RECEIVERS
The Chiefs’ wide receiver group is transitioning to life without superstar Tyreek Hill, who was traded to the Miami Dolphins during the offseason. The Chiefs also need to replace Byron Pringle, Demarcus Robinson and special-teams standout Marcus Kemp.
Good thing there’s an infusion of new blood alongside veteran holdover Mecole Hardman. The Chiefs made splashes in free agency with the signings of Marquez Valdes-Scantling, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Corey Coleman. Justin Watson, Omar Bayless and Gary Jennings are some of the other newcomers, while other returning players include Gordon, Daurice Fountain and Cornell Powell.
The Chiefs drafted a promising receiver — Skyy Moore from Western Michigan, selected in the second round — this spring. Justyn Ross is an undrafted rookie free agent and Aaron Parker, who attended mandatory minicamp on a tryout basis, will be on hand, as well.
With 13 wide receivers currently on the Chiefs’ roster, some intense competition is expected this summer for the five or six receiver spots the team is likely to carry on its initial 53-player roster.
2. CORNERBACK SHUFFLE
L’Jarius Sneed, Rashad Fenton and Deandre Baker are the key returners at cornerback, another position that saw a lot of offseason turnover.
Charvarius Ward, a starter for the Chiefs in recent years, signed with the San Francisco 49ers during free agency, while Mike Hughes signed with the Detroit Lions.
The Chiefs added three corners in this year’s draft: Trent McDuffie, Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson. In the days following the draft, they traded for Lonnie Johnson, who can both play cornerback and safety.
Sneed and McDuffie project as the starters in the Chiefs’ 4-3 base, but the remaining three or four spots are up for grabs.
“Collectively, I’m excited to see them,” Reid said. “There’s so many new faces there. ... They all have a chance. I think it’ll be good competition there.
“I’m not saying anybody absolutely jumped out or fell apart (this spring), so I would just tell you it’s a pretty tight group and we’ll see how it goes when things get going.”
3. DEFENSIVE END DEPTH
Frank Clark is a certainty at right defensive end, while 2022 first-rounder George Karlaftis — one of two first-round selections the Chiefs made this year — will have every opportunity to lock down a spot on the left side.
After that, the Chiefs have decisions to make after not adding a veteran in free agency and losing Melvin Ingram, who signed with the Dolphins.
Interior linemen Chris Jones and Tershawn Wharton can kick out to play the edge as needed. But a pair of recent draft picks — Mike Danna (2020) and Joshua Kaindoh (2021) — will be asked to provide much of the depth behind Clark and Karlaftis.
The Chiefs also have defensive ends Malik Herring and Austin Edwards on the roster.
THREE TO MONITOR
1. WR MECOLE HARDMAN
Hardman is entering the final year of his rookie contract, so the season ahead is especially important for him. And the Chiefs will give the speedster plenty of opportunities to prove himself in the wake of Hill’s departure.
Through three seasons, Hardman has totaled 126 catches for 1,791 yards and 12 touchdowns and has rushed for another 94 yards on 16 carries. As a kickoff and punt returner, he has amassed 1,423 total yards and two touchdowns.
2. CB TRENT MCDUFFIE
The spotlight at training camp will certainly be on McDuffie. That’s nothing unusual for a first-round draft pick.
But in McDuffie’s case, the Chiefs traded up in the draft to make him the 21st-overall selection. That brings high expectations. McDuffie needs a strong training camp to help him prepare for competition against some of the NFL’s top wide receivers in the ever-more-loaded AFC West.
3. S JUAN THORNHILL
Thornhill enters the final year of his rookie contract boldly predicting he’ll have an All-Pro season alongside new Chiefs safety Justin Reid.
The Chiefs hope it happens. They need Thornhill to step up and fill the leadership role previously held by Tyrann Mathieu, who signed with the New Orleans Saints in free agency.
DEEP SLEEPERS
1. WR JUSTIN WATSON
Watson showed Velcro-like hands throughout OTAs and mandatory minicamp, but he can’t afford to disappear when the pads come on during training camp.
The men who eventually earn the Chiefs’ fifth and sixth wide receiver spots must also contribute on special teams. Watson brings experience in that area from his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
2. CB JOSHUA WILLIAMS
While he’s still just a rookie, the 6-foot-3, 197-pound Williams provides plenty of intrigue if the Chiefs want to go with a bigger body on the outside.
Doing so would allow them to move either Sneed or Fenton inside to the slot in their nickel package. The Chiefs will definitely get a nice, long look at Williams during training camp.
3. LB ELIJAH LEE
Linebackers Willie Gay Jr. and Nick Bolton, who moves to the middle linebacker spot, are certainties in the starting rotation. And the Chiefs used a third-round pick on Leo Chenal in the 2022 NFL Draft, so he’ll see a lot of action, too.
But it wouldn’t be all that surprising if Lee, who signed with the Chiefs during free agency, has a leg up here thanks to his six years of NFL experience. The Chiefs need to replace linebackers Ben Niemann and Dorian O’Daniel (both of whom departed via free agency) on special teams, and Lee — a former Kansas State Wildcat who played at Blue Springs High — would seem to fit the bill.
CURRENT 90-PLAYER ROSTER
• QUARTERBACK (4): Patrick Mahomes, Chad Henne, Shane Buechele, Dustin Crum
• RUNNING BACK (8): Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Ronald Jones, Jerick McKinnon, Derrick Gore, Isiah Pacheco, Taylor Fleet-Davis, Jerrion Ealy, fullback Michael Burton
• WIDE RECEIVER (13): Mecole Hardman, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore, Corey Coleman, Josh Gordon, Daurice Fountain, Cornell Powell, Justyn Ross, Gary Jennings, Justin Watson, Omar Bayless, Aaron Parker
• TIGHT END (7): Travis Kelce, Blake Bell, Noah Gray, Jody Fortson, Mark Vital, Jordan Franks, Matt Bushman
• OFFENSIVE LINE (15): Orlando Brown Jr., Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Andrew Wylie, Lucas Niang, Nick Allegretti, Austin Reiter, Darian Kinnard, Geron Christian, Roderick Thomas, Prince Tega Wanogho, Michael Caliendo, Christopher Glaser, Vitaliy Gurman
• DEFENSIVE LINE (13): Chris Jones, Frank Clark, Derrick Nnadi, George Karlaftis, Mike Danna, Joshua Kaindoh, Taylor Stallworth, Khalen Saunders, Tershawn Wharton, Austin Edwards, Cortez Broughton, Malik Herring, Kehinde Oginni Hassan
• LINEBACKER (9): Willie Gay Jr., Nick Bolton, Leo Chenal, Darius Harris, Elijah Lee, Jermaine Carter, Shilique Calhoun, Mike Rose, Jack Cochran
• CORNERBACK (11): L’Jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie, Rashad Fenton, Deandre Baker, Lonnie Johnson, Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson, Decaprio Bootle, Brandin Dandridge, Nasir Greer, Chris Lammons
• SAFETY (7): Juan Thornhill, Justin Reid, Deon Bush, Zayne Anderson, Bryan Cook, Nazeeh Johnson, Devon Key
• SPECIALISTS (3): Harrison Butker, Tommy Townsend, James Winchester
KEY DATES
Aug. 13: First preseason game, at Chicago Bears (noon Central)
Aug. 16: Roster cuts from 90 to 85 players
Aug. 20: Second preseason game, home vs. Washington Commanders (3 p.m. Central)
Aug. 23: Roster cuts from 85 to 80 players
Aug. 25: Third preseason game, home vs. Green Bay Packers (7 p.m. Central)
Aug. 30: Roster cuts to initial 53-player roster for regular season
Sept. 11: Regular-season opener, at Arizona Cardinals (3:25 p.m. Central)
