Reactions from Day 3 of Chiefs Training Camp
Kent Swanson, Matt Lane and Tucker Franklin were in St. Joseph for Day 3 of Chiefs training camp. Here's what they thought.
It was a hot Friday morning as the Kansas City Chiefs entertained fans as they completed Day 3 of their training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens (hamstring) was back with the team briefly today as he participated in the team’s stretches but not in any of the drills. Long snapper James Winchester was also back in action today following COVID-19 protocol.
Tight end Travis Kelce (back, hip tightness), running back Darwin Thompson (COVID list) were both not participating, although Kelce came onto the field about an hour after practice started.
Also not participating today were Kyle Long (knee), Armani Watts (foot), Nick Keizer (back spasms) and Malik Herring (knee). All could be seen rehabbing in the medical tent.
Patrick Mahomes was the first Chiefs player to step to the podium where he had some pretty high compliments for some of his teammates. He called newly acquired running back Jerick McKinnon a playmaker and noted that he sees a new maturity in third-year wide receiver Mecole Hardman.
Tyreek Hill reiterated that all the members of the Chiefs believe they can go 20-0 after answering questions about his Madden rating and if he could beat Usain Bolt in a race. About the undefeated record, Hill said, “All of us believe that. We don’t want to lose.”
Lastly, Willie Gay spoke to the media about his health heading into this season following his ankle and knee injuries. He said he is “100%” healthy. Gay also had praise for rookie linebacker Nick Bolton, who he described as, “He’s me but shorter and a little wider.” Finally, Gay said this was the year for him to make plays.
Matt Lane, Kent Swanson and I were on the ground in St. Joseph watching practice this afternoon. Here’s what Matt and Kent took away from today.
Being a practice without pads, there isn’t always a ton of high-impact takeaways to be had but one thing that continues to jump out is rookie offensive guard, Trey Smith. Smith took every single first-team rep at right guard for the Chiefs during Friday’s practice. Whether it was position drills, 7-on-7, or team periods, Smith was the right guard next to fellow rookie Creed Humphrey.
More importantly, was Smith’s performance when on the field. On a few occasions throughout practice, Smith was able to showcase the aggressive demeanor that he’s often talking about in his press conferences. On one play, in particular, Smith was able to pull around the left side of the offense and drive two defenders a good five yards off the line of scrimmage.
This mentality is something that should help Smith maintain the starting gig as the season grows closer. Even when matched up with NFL veterans like Chris Jones or Jarran Reed, Trey Smith was able to hold his own more often than not.
The Chris Jones transition to a hybrid defensive end/defensive tackle is going well early on. Jones saw time both inside and outside at today’s practice. What was interesting to me was that Jones got looks at both spots when the Chiefs were in nickel. I would anticipate the majority of Jones’ snaps at EDGE would occur in base, but operating in nickel as well could bolster his snap count outside.
Jones certainly looks lighter and appears to be acclimating well to the new role. One of the big questions for me as he transitions is how he’ll operate in space. Offenses can put edge defenders in conflict — reading their actions to determine who gets the ball on an option play. Jones handled an option play well as an unblocked defender in space — a positive sign for his growth and development in a hybrid role.
If he keeps checking boxes at the rate he is, this front will be the most dynamic group the Chiefs have had in recent memory. They’re going to present a lot of challenges to opposing offenses regardless of personnel groupings they roll out.
Catch the latest KC Laboratory
Kent Swanson and Craig Stout go a man down as they talk about the biggest storylines from Day 1 and 2 from Kansas City Chiefs training camp. How is the offensive line coming together? What is Chris Jones been like on the outside? What cornerback configurations do they expect to prevail?