Three Takeaways from the First Week of Chiefs Training Camp
Before the pads even went on, there was already plenty to talk about in St. Joseph.
The pads came on for the first time this morning in St. Joseph, and just like that, everything from the first week of training camp becomes a footnote. What happens from here will carry far more weight than anything done in shorts.
That said, the first week did not lack for storylines, and a few things stood out enough to be worth documenting before the real evaluations begin.
The scariest moment came Friday, when fifth-round wide receiver Cyrus Allen was carted off the field after a collision during a special teams drill. Dave Toub explained what happened.
“Yeah, (cornerback Kaiir) Elam was catching the ball; he was a gunner. They were both playing gunner, and Elam was catching it. It was clearly there, and Allen came in. He thought he was catching it, and they collided,” Toub said. “I mean, I hate to see somebody get hurt, especially on a special teams drill. We’ll see how he is.”
The sight of Allen being helped off the field sent a jolt through Chiefs Kingdom, which is telling in its own right. For a fanbase to collectively hold its breath over a fifth-round rookie hours before the first padded practice, it says everything about how thin the wide receiver room is and how quickly Allen had endeared himself to people paying attention.
The good news is that it turned out to be a shin bruise, and he is listed as day-to-day.
The reason Chiefs Kingdom reacted the way it did is because of takeaway number one.
Cyrus Allen Has Already Earned Patrick Mahomes’ Trust
It is only the first week of camp, and the pads just went on, so there is a long way to go. But when Andy Reid tells you the quarterback trusts a fifth-round rookie, you pay attention. He said it twice.
“The quarterback trusts him, this is Cyrus we’re talking about,” Reid said July 31. “He’s got to clean some things up, but he’s willing to work at it and do that. He’s had a productive two days. You’ve got to keep stacking those as you go, and then you got to get the pads on, and we’ll see from there.”
That followed an equally encouraging comment from two days earlier.
“Cyrus had a good day today with him,” Reid said July 29. “I think Pat’s got some trust there. We’ve got a long way to go, but we’ve just got to keep going, keep growing.”
Tyquan Thornton, one of the veterans ahead of him on the depth chart, has also taken notice.
“Man, he is eager to learn,” Thornton said of Allen. “His route running is very elusive. He is very good at catch point, and I am excited to see what he does.”
The next checkpoints are getting back on the field and performing when the pads come on. This team could use a new difference maker in the wide receiver room.
Kahlil Benson Is Making the Right Tackle Competition Real
Coming into camp, Jaylon Moore was the presumptive starter at right tackle. He got the first-team reps on day one, and that was expected. What was not entirely expected was undrafted free agent Kahlil Benson starting with the ones the next few practices and holding his own enough to keep the conversation going.
Benson may have gone unselected this past draft, but he is fresh off an undefeated season protecting the best quarterback in college football. So far, he is making the most out of his opportunity in Kansas City after trying out for the team this past May.
Reid has been measured but encouraging about what he has seen from the 6-foot-6, 319-pound former Indiana and Colorado lineman.
“He’s learning. Very strong, powerful, good feet, good athletic ability,” Reid said. “He’s working it, the consistency part, scheme-wise. So, physically he’s got all the tools there. So, we’ll just keep working at it and see where it goes. But he has a lot of talent there.”
Reid added context on his trajectory when asked about the jump from tryout player to first-team reps.
“I want to see; we’re early. I want to see how he does as we go. Can you pound through those two and a half-hour practices in the heat with pads on? How do you handle that? And then you’ve got the preseason game. How do you handle that? So, it’s a long, long road, but we’ll see. But up to this point, my hat goes out to him. He’s doing a good job.”
The pads came on today; it is the first real test of whether Benson’s pre-contact camp performance translates. Toub put it well when asked what he is most excited to find out.
“A lot of guys right now, you’ll see players that are showing up, and they’re looking really good in shorts and all of a sudden, they disappear with pads,” Toub said. “Then it’s vice versa. You have a guy, all of a sudden, you didn’t see him. All of a sudden, now like, holy cow, where was this guy? So, it’s always good to get the pads on. You play football with pads. We push it to the max as much as you can do, and we’ll find out about these guys.”
Moore still has the experience and the contract on his side. But Benson has made sure this competition is legitimate, which is exactly what a contending team needs from a depth spot heading into August.
Nohl Williams and Chris Roland-Wallace settling in with the ones
There has been a lot of movement in the secondary since the first day of camp, and none of it has been bad for Nohl Williams or Chris Roland-Wallace. The picture is still coming into focus, but the early returns suggest this group could be more than what the outside projections gave it credit for.
Nohl Williams has been the most consistent performer through the first week, and Reid has noticed.
“He’s done a good job. He had a good offseason program, the OTA part of it,” Reid said. “And out here he’s been strong. Strong where he can bend, maintain that bend and still move with his feet. Dave Merritt overemphasizes all of that, ‘use your feet, use your feet,’ and then be able to build cushions from there and angles. He does a nice job with that.”
Williams, himself, came in with a different mindset than he did a year ago.
“Feeling good,” Williams said. “The best thing I have is experience, and I know what it’s supposed to look like. Just trying to stack days while I’m out here.”
Chris Roland-Wallace has quietly been one of the more interesting stories out of camp. Spagnuolo used him as an example when addressing younger players who might be discouraged by their depth chart standing.
“When he came here three years ago, he was buried in the depth chart, and we didn’t really know where to fit him, and then he just chipped away, and now he’s out there playing with the first group,” Spagnuolo said. “So real happy with what he’s doing. He’s a smart football player.”
Roland-Wallace began camp as the team’s starting nickel and has appeared to hold onto it thus far.
Mansoor Delane, who has been working through a shoulder injury in a non-contact jersey, has also shown enough in limited work to keep Spagnuolo encouraged.
“I’ve seen him kind of progress,” Spagnuolo said. “I like the way he’s interacting with the guys.”
Delane, the Chiefs’ highest draft pick since 2013, will be the straw that stirs the cornerback’s drink. He has the talent of a sixth-overall pick, and once he is fully cleared for contact, it should be a huge boost for the defensive backs.
In the meantime, Williams and Roland-Wallace are rounding out the room nicely.