Reactions From Day 6 of Chiefs Training Camp
The pads were finally on for Day 6 of Kansas City Chiefs training camp and I was there to take it all in. Here's what I thought.
The first day of padded practices for the Kansas City Chiefs has come and gone and we have the slightest taste of real football as the season is just around the corner.
There were no live sessions today, only thud periods (hitting but not taking players to the ground), as the Chiefs ramp up their training for their first preseason game on Aug. 14.
Here’s what you need to know from today’s practice in St. Joseph, Missouri.
The biggest news on the injury front was Tyreek Hill leaving practice early with what Andy Reid called knee tendinitis. Reid said after practice they decided to back Hill off a bit and pump the breaks.
Offensive lineman Mike Remmers (back spasms), running back Darwin Thompson (COVID-19 list) and cornerback Charvarius Ward (eye) were all not out for practice this morning.
Offensive lineman Kyle Long (knee), safety Juan Thornhill (groin), wide receiver Chad Williams (groin), tight end Nick Keizer (back) and defensive end Malik Herring (knee) were all with trainers off to the side getting other work in.
Speaking to the media today was Reid, defensive end Alex Okafor, running back Darrel Williams and defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton.
Reid said he thought it was a good first practice with the pads on. He said the effort was where it needed to be and they got good work in.
Okafor talked about returning to Kansas City and getting the pads back on as a defensive lineman.
Here’s what I took away from today’s practice.
Marcus Kemp stood out
This might be a yearly thing, but Marcus Kemp has really impressed me this camp. Kemp was getting a decent amount of targets prior to today’s practice and that trend only continued today.
During the team periods, Patrick Mahomes linked up with Kemp twice for touchdowns. But it hasn’t only been on the offensive side of the ball he’s impressed. Kemp has been one of the first guys to jump in on the scout team during special teams periods that he’s not in on.
Kemp has stuck around on several Chiefs rosters due to his ability on special teams and now with his recent growth on the offense, it wouldn’t surprise me if Kemp was on the final 53-man roster.
Coaches were very pleased with how Kemp performed this morning with several people coming up to him and telling him he had a good day. Overall, a really encouraging sign for the 25-year-old.
Devon Key is getting some serious reps
In the words of Kent Swanson (and DJ Khaled), MAJOR KEY ALERT. Devon Key has been impressive in camp so far. Kent wrote about Key in June and talked about his ability as a safety and more importantly, how he could be another successful Brett Veach lottery pick and he looks to be well on his way.
Granted, there are some injuries in the defensive backfield with Ward and Thornhill sitting out, it’s significant that Key got the snaps. When the defense was in its dime set, Key was in the secondary with Rashad Fenton, Mike Hughes, L’Jarius Sneed, Tyrann Mathieu and Daniel Sorensen.
During the 9-on-7 inside run period, Key was still out there with Sorensen as the other safeties and corners went to 1-on-1s on the other field. Key was also taking first-team reps in the late-game situation session.
While the injuries in the secondary gave Key a chance, he took advantage of it and has put himself in a good position — albeit, it’s only Aug. 3 and the first day of pads — to make the final roster.
We finally got some OL/DL 1-on-1s
Ah, yes. The moment we’ve all been waiting for since the offensive line overhaul was completed. While the “skills” players were working on routes and coverages in 7-on-7, the real skills players were duking it out in the trenches for the first time.
There were a few players I was interested in seeing but specifically I had my eyes on rookies Trey Smith and Creed Humphrey. I wanted to see how they reacted in their first live 1-on-1 session. While there were some bright spots, there was certainly some room for improvement with both.
The coaching staff didn’t hold back on the matchups as Smith started out with Jarran Reed and held his own pretty well against the six-year veteran.
Smith’s next matchup wouldn’t get easier as he went up against Chris Jones as a 3-tech. There are some small victories here for Smith but my main takeaway from this matchup is Jones is playing MEAN this season.
In regards to Humprey, he had a couple of solid reps against Derrick Nnadi — which I, unfortunately, did not capture — and two tough reps against Tershawn Wharton. Humprey struggled with Wharton’s speed off the snap as you can see below.
Overall, there were some great showings from the offensive line and defensive line as Jones, Wharton, and Frank Clark showed that they still have it. Can’t wait for them to go back at it tomorrow.
Latest KCSN Breakdown
In Part 1 of his series, KC Sports Network’s Matt Lane took a look at the Chiefs’ new-look offensive line and what went into the overhaul. Look for Part 2 in your inbox tomorrow morning.
If you’re a paid subscriber, you can read it below. Not a paid subscriber but want to be? Upgrade for exclusive breakdowns, podcasts and even more engagement with the KCSN crew.
How is Kemp only 25? I feel like he's been on the team for a million years.