Observations From Day 8 of Chiefs Training Camp
After a day off, #CampTikTuk was back in action as the Kansas City Chiefs focused on the red zone.
The red zone was the focus for both the Kansas City Chiefs offense and defense in their third straight practice in full pads this morning.
With the weather a bit cooler, today was a day that included offensive install with inside run sessions. Tomorrow the Chiefs will be back in action at 9:15 a.m. as a day off awaits them on Saturday.
If you’re heading out to St. Joe tomorrow, let me know on Twitter @tuckerdfranklin and come over say hi. I could also have another member of the KC Sports Network team with me as well, so follow me to see who it could be.
Anyway, here’s what you need to know from today’s practice.
Tyreek Hill (knee), Juan Thornhill (groin), Nick Keizer (back), Ben Niemann (hamstring) were all back in pads today as some worked more than others.
Alex Okafor (hamstring), Mike Remmers (back spasms), Deandre Baker, Kyle Long (knee), Malik Herring (knee), Evan Baylis (ankle) were not in pads today but did get some rehab work in off to the side.
Willie Gay Jr. was not out on the field today as he continues to go through the concussion protocol.
Antonio Callaway tweaked his knee in the middle of practice and limped off the field but had to be helped into the medical tent before he was carted up the hill.
The severity of his injury was not specified after practice. It’s something to keep our eye on with Callaway fighting for a roster spot.
Tyreek Hill’s knee seems fine
To some, Tyreek Hill leaving yesterday’s practice could’ve been a worry. I get it. Things like that can be scary, especially with a knee injury. Andy Reid put everyone’s mind at ease after practice as he said they were just pumping the breaks on his workload to give him some rest and recovery time.
Apparently, that worked because he looked like his usual self this morning. Hill made several plays in the team’s red zone team and 7-on-7 sessions that you’re used to seeing him make on Sundays.
The speed was there and he wasn’t afraid to elevate for any balls. It is only August and there still is plenty of time for him to rest and recover during the preseason but it was a great sign to see him look back to normal already.
Joshua Kaindoh caught my eye
I’ve had a lot of people tweet and direct message me asking about Joshua Kaindoh, wanting to know how he’s looked, what he’s done, and who he’s running with. And truthfully up until this point, I hadn’t really noticed him. That’s not a bad thing but it’s also not a good thing.
But today that changed. Kaindoh looked the part as he was running with the ones for a bit this morning. He has the size and the speed to be a solid pass rusher off the edge. Today was probably his best day in practice as he meshed well in the defense.
Now, Kaindoh also ran with the twos during the later team session and showed off his abilities as a run defender as well. He was able to get around Yasir Durant on a pass rush one snap and on the next, he was taking on pulling guard Nick Allegretti and blowing up a run play. I’m curious to see how he’ll respond tomorrow.
Expect the pads to “talk” tomorrow
I’ve got to credit this new phrase to Tershawn Wharton as he used the phrase “the pads were talking” on the first day of padded practice on Tuesday. It’s such a good phrase and I’m going to continue to use it.
On Saturday, there’s a day off for the team so expect to see some high intensity out in practice tomorrow. This raised intensity will be a good test for some of the fringe guys looking to make their way onto the roster and even some of the rookies to get acclimated to the speed of the NFL game and show they can hang with the big dogs.
If you haven’t been out to camp yet and can get away tomorrow to come up (or down) in the morning, do it. If you live in Kansas City, you’ll be back before lunch and it’s well worth the $5 to park.
Check out the latest Outside the Trenches
BJ Kissel, Nick Leckey and Tucker Franklin are back on the latest Outside the Trenches podcast to talk about a variety of topics including their "blind nil" segment. Before they get into it, BJ, Nick and Tucker talk about some topics listeners of the show wanted to hear. Then they move on to their conversations on similarities between the top coaches in the NFL, how to avoid complacency with the Kansas City Chiefs roster and closeout by making a prediction about what we will see during the season.
Great write up. I enjoyed meeting and visiting with you you and B.J. at camp today. Thank you for your great work!