It was a sunny, warmer day in St. Joe for Kansas City Chiefs training camp practice, the fifth of camp and the first in full pads.
The team came into Monday’s practice fresh off the first off day since the full team arrived on the campus of Missouri Western State University. Here’s the recap of Monday’s practice:
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Attendance report
Head coach Andy Reid spoke to the media after practice and provided details on the three active Chiefs who were unavailable on Monday: wide receivers Cyrus Allen and Xavier Worthy, and defensive end Ashton Gillotte.
As they have each day of practice, cornerback L’Jarius Sneed and wide receiver Rashee Rice took the field with the team in full uniform. Each participated with pads on, although Rice seemed to be held out of 11-on-11, full-team period work against the defense. Sneed seemed to be in the same boat, although I have noted his movement as closer to 100% comparatively to Rice.
Peter Woods properly introduces himself
While observing the full-team periods, star defensive tackle Chris Jones reminded fans of his dominance with a few disruptive, blow-by snaps.
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However, rookie defensive tackle Peter Woods also stood out by disengaging from blocks ferociously or leveraging himself to plug a gap while fighting with an offensive lineman.
I didn’t get a good look at his performance in the one-on-one pass-rush drills, but Harold Kuntz of FOX4 highlights a couple of notable reps that show off the skill Andy Reid pointed out when asked about Woods after practice.
“I like what I’ve seen. He’s an explosive kid,” Reid said. “He’s learning; he’s smart, and he’s trying to hone in on some of these techniques we’re asking him to do. [I] like his effort. He’s got a ways to go, but you sure like the tools, the effort and how smart he is. I appreciate that.”
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On one particular one-on-one rep in the lineman drills, right guard Trey Smith stonewalled Woods, who tapped him on the helmet with respect after the rep. It was truly iron sharpening iron; Smith sounded excited about his new teammates across the line of scrimmage when talking to reporters on Monday.
“Peter’s really talented,” Smith said. “The sky is the limit for him. In terms of his hand utilization, speed, power, he’s really sort of a full-package guy. He’s young, and he’s figuring out the game, but he has a willingness to learn.
I’ve really, really enjoyed the way he has stepped into this program, this organization and how he’s trying to turn himself into a great player,” Smith emphasized. “Definitely has an outstanding future ahead of him, just really excited to help with his development where I can.”
Without Worthy and Allen running routes for the Chiefs’ offense, the three starting receivers when running plays on air were wide receivers Rashee Rice, Tyquan Thornton and Andrew Armstrong. Rice wasn’t playing much during full-team periods, so players like Jalen Royals, Nikko Remigio and Jimmy Holiday saw more time in the mix with the starting offense.
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Similar to the way Allen was seemingly Mahomes’ favorite target for an early stretch of camp, Armstrong has seemingly stepped up. Reid can see it.
“Armstrong… he went through the rookie camp, and pushed through that. I thought he did a nice job there, and he has transferred that over,” Reid shared. “It looks like Pat has trust in him. So I think that’s a plus; he’s getting better every day. Big target, strong… I like that part of it.”
On second-year wideout Jalen Royals, who hasn’t made the same pop as Allen or Armstrong in camp, Reid kept the praise simple.
“I think Royals has kind of gotten better playing faster every day that he has been here.”
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What Andy Reid is looking for at right tackle
On the first day of full pads, rookie Kahlil Benson got the nod as the starting right tackle for the fourth consecutive practice.
However, veteran Jaylon Moore quickly rotated in with the starters in practice; the two seemingly split time between the first and second teams on the right side.
“Let them compete, and just see where it goes,” Reid said of the position battle after practice. “Both of them can play, I think. We just have a young guy we haven’t seen much of, but he has some talent. Let’s see where that goes.
“Moore keeps battling; he has had a couple good days, too,” Reid noted. “We’ll need all of them, that’s how it goes.”
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When asked about the inevitable mistakes Benson will make as a first-year player, Reid made his stance on the learning curve clear.
“Not to make the same mistake twice, right? That’s what I’m looking for,” Reid said. “We’ll give you a chance here to learn, but if you start making it consistently, then we have a problem. But he has been doing a good job. There’s a hiccup here or there, but he fixes it, normally.”
Andy points to pass-pro improvement for Brashard Smith
In the early stages of camp, second-year running back Brashard Smith has seemingly been the most immediate backup to Kenneth Walker in the Chiefs’ starting backfield. He has been an outlet for quarterback Patrick Mahomes on screen passes and in the flat during practice, but he has also received plenty of handoffs in run-game work.
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If he is to continue seeing the ball with the first team, he will need to be effective in all facets of a pass down.
“I know he can run the football; I know he’s good with the ball in his hands, catching the ball,” Reid said of Smith. “Can you do all the small things that a running back has to do with protection, the intricacies of the different routes we have for him? We’ll see how we’ve improved, protection being the big one.”
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