The Kansas City Chiefs have wrapped up nearly a week of training camp practices. This past weekend, I got to attend training for another year. Certain things stood out more than others during practice. Now, let’s take a quick look at the takeaways from training camp so far.
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Five Takeaways
Brand New D
The new defensive attitude and urgency is evident. Coaches and players alike are much more energetic than the past regime when communicating and checking in pre-snap. The addition of Frank Clark seems like it should open up many opportunities for sacks across the board. His wicked first step is putting Eric Fisher through a lot of hard work during training camp. Steve Spagnuolo is working hard to communicate with players one-on-one. New defensive line coach Brendan Daly is doing all he can to bring over his coaching style from New England. Daly may be almost as good of an addition to the coaching staff as Spags.
Kendall Fuller
It’s interesting that Kendall Fuller is working primarily as the slot cornerback so far. That is where he shined with the Washington Redskins, before coming to Kansas City. He wasn’t awful last year outside. But, this may be the best case scenario for the Chiefs at cornerback. Spagnuolo seemingly confirmed this in Tuesday’s press conference. “That’s the plan (playing Fuller in the slot). He’s a natural fit there. But he can also go outside in emergencies.”
With that said, the rest of the cornerback depth is still a slight concern. With Keith Reaser going down with a torn Achilles, a move could possibly be made.
Speed, Speed and More Speed
Mecole Hardman is even faster than I thought he would be. Having him and Tyreek Hill on the same offense is going to be scary for opposing defenses, especially with Patrick Mahomes throwing them the ball. The Mahomes to Hill connection also looks better than ever before. Sammy Watkins looks to be in top shape. In space, he’s moving well. Watkins has said this is the best he has felt entering a new season. Kansas City just hopes he can continue to stay healthy.
Tight Receiver Battle
The depth at wide receiver behind Hill, Watkins and Hardman may be the best the Chiefs have had at that position in a while. Demarcus Robinson likely makes the team. Elsewhere, preseason games will show just how tight it is between Gehrig Dieter, Byron Pringle, Cody Thompson, Rashard Davis and others. It would not surprise me to see the Chiefs carry seven receivers during the regular season.
Not Backing Down
There may be some surprises to who makes the roster, as long as they continue to perform well in the preseason. Guys like Daniel Sorensen, Tanoh Kpassagnon and Xavier Williams are veterans who’s chances were likely slim to make the team earlier in the offseason. However, this new defensive regime is putting these guys in big spots in Chiefs camp. So far, these three are all coming through with their backs against the wall.
– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.
