FPC Chiefs News Roundup: Skyy, Rookies And More

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NFL training camps are now in full swing. Teams have now put the pads on. Suddenly, most squads are about a week away from their first preseason game of the season. For the Kansas City Chiefs, the new faces have brought out tremendous competition in key spots. We have actually seen many newcomers garner much of the headlines from Chiefs training camp so far.

Who are some of the names that are turning heads? Where do things stand now with Orlando Brown Jr., following his initial no-show to training camp? Plus, what is truly unique about Andy Reid training camps, compared to other ones with different NFL head coaches? It is now time to catch up on our latest FPC Chiefs news roundup. Let’s kick it off.

Skyy Moore Okay After Injury Scare

The excitement of players getting back onto the football field is also met with occasionally holding your breath. Avoiding injuries and keeping your roster deep is sometimes just as important as getting in key reps at practice. For the Kansas City Chiefs, there was a slight feeling of worry after Tuesday’s practice. Rookie second-round pick Skyy Moore left with a hip injury. The wide receiver appeared to get bumped and seemed somewhat surprised to take a light hit during a one-on-one rep. Luckily for the Chiefs, this injury did not phase Moore.

On Tuesday evening, Moore took to social media to proclaim that he was “okay” and left a thumbs up to an account reporting that he left practice early. This did not just give Chiefs fans a sigh of relief, from a health perspective. In addition, Moore is expected to command a major role in the offense out of the gate. Kansas City may be able to use him in a variety of ways throughout his rookie season. With him being no worse for wear, Moore can continue to showcase his top traits. Items like his separation and ball skills have been heavily displayed in training camp so far. Though, the Western Michigan product is not the only rookie who is turning heads.

Chiefs 2022 Draft Class Making Waves

The Chiefs have done a stellar job at finding value in the NFL Draft. That is especially true under current general manager Brett Veach, who made the most draft selections that he ever has this past April. Last year, Trey Smith proved many teams who passed on him wrong. L’Jarius Sneed has been an impact defender in numerous ways, another day three selection of Veach. Now in 2022, it seems like the rookies are ready to takeover immediately for Kansas City.

The Chiefs have never been shy about throwing their younger prospects to the wolves out of the gate under this coaching regime. Moreover, this roster just underwent plenty of change this offseason. Why not give the rookies some extra chances in the starting lineup early on?

For starters, we have seen defenders like George Karlaftis start training camp off strong. Defensive backs like Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson have received noticeable runs with the starting defense in team periods. On the flip side, Trent McDuffie has displayed his ability to provide sticky coverage during one-on-one drills. Bryan Cook‘s instincts are transcending nicely. Finally, Isiah Pacheco has also received reps with the starting offense. He has already been formally named as the Chiefs’ first option at kick returner, to boot.

Sure, it is only practice and training camp. More reps are likely helping to create more success for these incoming rookies. Even still, it is not spring OTAs anymore. The strong results from Chiefs rookies have been continuously beaming for seemingly the entire draft class. Karlaftis and McDuffie are likely day one starters and hold different expectations as first-round picks. However, seeing or hearing that Pacheco, Williams and even Leo Chenal are thriving early is a tremendous sign for a much different Kansas City core.

Brown Jr. Has Arrived

In last week’s edition of the FPC Chiefs News Roundup, we discussed how Orlando Brown Jr. was not initially reporting to training camp. Somewhat surprisingly, his status changed at the beginning of this week. Brown Jr. eventually signed his franchise tag tender, allowing him to make $16.7 million this season. He showed up just in time for the Chiefs to put on full pads. More importantly for Kansas City, they got their blindside protector back with a fresh focus during a crucial campaign.

The Chiefs will get Orlando Brown Jr. back today. He reports and will sign his franchise tag tender, just as KC puts on the pads at camp. #ChiefsKingdom #FPC #NFL #NFLTwitter pic.twitter.com/t0EnrZ2hcQ

— Full Press NFL (@FullPressNFL) August 1, 2022

Of course, Brown Jr. is taking a massive gamble on himself for not accepting the reported long-term offer that the Chiefs gave him. There may still be a silver lining about his long-term future with the team, however. Brown Jr. talked about his insistence throughout the rest of his professional career.

“I want to be here. I want to finish my career here in Kansas City,” the left tackle said earlier this week. “I’m sure questions are out there, but to me, with the contract situation, it just wasn’t enough guarantees. I love ball. I love blocking for Pat Mahomes. I love putting the Chiefs’ logo on my helmet. I really enjoy being here.”

Perhaps, Mahomes is the major difference in Brown Jr. wanting to remain with the Chiefs or not. His leadership as a young quarterback is constantly on display from the start of the year until the last snap of the season. Being his blindside blocker, Brown Jr. may take pride in holding this specific title for years to come with the Chiefs.

Coach Reid’s Old School Methods Paying Dividends

JuJu Smith-Schuster took to Twitter early this week, saying “today was the hardest practice of my NFL career! And we’re just getting started.”

Today was the hardest practice of my NFL career! 😂 & we’re just getting started 😤

— JuJu Smith-Schuster (@TeamJuJu) August 2, 2022

This was touched on a bit more by Nate Taylor of The Athletic. Mainly, Taylor referenced the unique setup of training camp practices that are ran by Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.

Prepping For The NFL Speed

“It’s a tempo, it’s a speed of which you’re getting the reps. And I think that’s ultimately what JuJu Smith-Schuster was sort of telling Chiefs fans about, like oh my goodness,” Taylor said. “Now, that’s not to say that Mike Tomlin, the head coach of the Steelers, doesn’t run a tight ship or doesn’t know how to practice physical. I just think most NFL coaches in contrast with Andy Reid, like to be a little bit more deliberate.”

Getting reps after reps has been a long staple for Reid, going back to his long tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles. Inviting more competition to the fray at certain positions has also been noticeable from him during his time in Kansas City. The more plays or reps that you can get done, the more satisfied Reid feels. It is safe to say that his quick starts to the season and consistent success overall are due in part to how hard he works his players from the get-go.

Taylor continued, “I think Andy Reid sort of works in somewhat of a backwards way, where it’s like, I want to give you as many reps as possible, as quickly as possible. You realize that the game here is really, really fast, so that when you get to the regular season, nothing feels too fast for you.”

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles in the coming days. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– 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.