7 takeaways from Chiefs’ media availability at OTAs
The Kansas City Chiefs concluded their first of three sets of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) on Thursday. They’ll hit the field again for another three days beginning on Tuesday, May 31.
The team has just started putting in the work that will be the foundation for the upcoming season. So what did we learn about the team after the first week of OTA practices? Here are seven items for you to take away:
Mahomes' offseason throwing sessions in Texas were useful
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes hosted a throwing session earlier this offseason with a bunch of his new receivers down in his hometown of Tyler, Texas. One of the first things that reporters questioned Andy Reid about is whether he saw any carryover from those throwing sessions to the chemistry that Mahomes has with the receivers at OTAs.
“Yeah, you can,” Reid said. “The times that he worked with the guys in Texas, that has carried over. He was able to hit the base routes. They did a little bit of putting the routes together, but some of the new things Pat’s working through with them. It’s been good, way better execution than you’d think for a bunch of new guys together.”
One of the reasons that Andy Reid felt comfortable abandoning in-person meetings in the earliest phases of the offseason program was because of the experience he gained teaching virtually over the past few seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He feels that doing things the way they did them already had an impact on the energy and chemistry the team has out at OTAs.
“Yeah, I thought it was important that they got together,” Reid said. “We did things with them virtually, which I took as a learning opportunity from the last couple of years. So, I felt comfortable doing that. I knew they were going to work out, they had a workout facility. You can see that they got things done. I think from my standpoint to them, it shows some trust that I have in them. It’s a long season that we’ve put together over the last few years, which means it’s a short offseason. I think sometimes it’s not bad just to step back an inch, and then you guys felt the energy out there today, it’s ridiculous right now. We’re getting these positive practices right now with a tremendous amount of energy.”
Mahomes also felt that the throwing sessions were a success, namely because it allowed him to get the timing down. There was also a personal element to it too, where he was able to get to know a lot of his new receivers off the field as well.
“Well, first of all, I think we got some chemistry in just working with the guys for almost a month,” Mahomes said. “Working out with them, throwing with them, we go to lunch, go to dinner, stuff like that, you kind of build that chemistry, and I think a big part of especially our offense is having that chemistry on the field. Being able to know what the guy is doing without needing to talk about it. I think it’s translated. So far in the practices that we’ve had, we think we’re on the same page and kind of having chemistry and we’re going to keep building on that.”
At practice, Mahomes has looked especially in sync with the hyphen squad, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster. He spoke about what has gone into building that chemistry up ahead of OTAs and what fans can expect of it moving forward.
“I think it’s been really cool,” Mahomes said. “(Marquez Valdes-Scantling), JuJu (Smith-Schuster), some of those guys were down there every day pretty much, and I think the first day JuJu had a big day. He got a lot of big catches down the sideline, and then the second day, Marquez had a big day. I think that’s what you’re going to see with this offense this year. It’s going to be everybody. It’s not just going to be one guy. Obviously, Travis (Kelce) will get a lot of completions, a lot of yards, but I think the whole receiving room is going to have big days, and I think it’s going to be something we can use to our advantage.”
The new offense will be different
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
The offense in Kansas City undoubtedly will look different without Tyreek Hill, but how different exactly? Well, Mahomes expects that the versatile group of receivers that the Chiefs have now will help them combat the two-high defense that took away their explosive downfield passing attack.
“I think we’re going to be different,” Mahomes said. “You saw last year that defenses formulated a good gameplan, at least at the beginning of the season, of trying to kind of maintain stopping Tyreek (Hill) and Travis. We had to find ways to have success other ways, so we can get those guys open. I think this year will be different. You’re not going to know where you’re going to get the deep ball from. You’re not going to know where you’re going to get the short pass from because we have a lot of different guys that can do it all. I think having all those guys, it’ll help get those big throws that we’ve become accustomed to.”
Andy Reid also mentioned dusting off some old plays that the team hasn’t been able to utilize. Specifically, Reid said they’re adding things for the bigger-bodied receivers that they haven’t been able to use before.
“We’ve got a little bit of everything for everybody that we can draw from,” Reid said. “We dusted a few things off for the bigger guys that we think they do well after watching their tape. So, we’ll put a couple things in there. Can’t tell you what they are, but we’ll put them in.”
The rookies are getting everything thrown at them
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Andy Reid doesn’t take it easy on the rookies. There’s no acclimation period, no special treatments, they just throw them into the thick of it and see which of them rise to the top.
“With the new kids, we’re throwing them right in and giving them a chance to see what this NFL thing is about,” Reid said. “They’ve had some good plays and they’ve had some plays they have to work on. Potential, it looks like they’ve got good potential. Great attitudes, very smart and work hard. It’s a matter of getting in and seeing everything.”
Asked about what he’d seen from the young players so far, Chiefs TE Travis Kelce said this group has a lot of energy. He thinks they’re adapting well to the professional game, but also learning to enjoy themselves a bit while they’re out on the practice field as well.
“Guys flying around, and that’s all you can really ask for,” Kelce said. “They come into the building, they understand the type of energy that we have here. A lot of the new guys, especially the young guys coming from college ball, they’re not used to how we work here. It’s just a little more professional. A little more attention to detail, but we still like to fly around and have a good time. That’s what you saw today, guys just trying to get into it and enjoy being around each other and building this thing.”
Justyn Ross wasn't the only Justin turning heads
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Everyone knows about Justyn Ross’ standout one-handed catch by now, but he’s not the only Justin impressing out of the receiver group. Asked to name someone who has impressed out of the new crop of receivers, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes named reserve/future signing Justin Watson. A former fifth-round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers out of the University of Pennsylvania in the 2018 NFL draft, Watson has caught his new quarterbacks’ attention.
“Watson has been a pleasant surprise,” Mahomes said. “That dude can roll. I remember he came down to Texas and I threw with him the first day. I called (Brett) Veach and I was like, “Wait, how fast is this guy?” Because he was running so fast that I was late on my throws. So he’s got out here these first two days and had two great days.”
Watson set the Ivy League record for most receiving yards in conference play at Penn. In the NFL, Watson has just 23 career catches for 258 yards and two touchdowns over four seasons with the Bucs. He is coming off of a knee injury, but based on Mahomes’ comments, it’d seem like he is fully recovered.
“When we have reps like this where we are rotating a lot of different receivers in, you get to see guys step up and make plays,” Mahomes said. “Today, (Justin Watson) made a big play in the corner of the endzone. It is important for these guys to let them have chances and when they get their chances they’re going to go out there and try to make the most of them.”
Justin Reid, other new veterans getting acclimated
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Since we’re on the topic of Justin’s, new Chiefs S Justin Reid is acclimating very well to his new team. He spoke to reporters about how things are going now that he’s in the building and working again. He raved about the culture, how it’s built and how great it has been to get to know his teammates.
“I think everything is going well. The culture here is phenomenal,” Reid explained. “All the resources in the world that you could ever ask for, great coaching. The details matter. We pay attention to not only getting to know your teammates and building the right culture, but it goes deeper than just X’s and O’s in how you build a championship culture, and how you build a championship team. I’ve had a lot of fun playing in this defense. I’ve had a lot of fun getting to know my teammates. The locker room is great. It’s full of a bunch of good guys.”
Coming from a dysfunctional organization like the Houston Texans, it’s probably a breath of fresh air to see how things are done in Kansas City.
Could the wide receiver room yield a trade chip?
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Something said by Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes caught my attention. He seems to think that the wide receiver group in Kansas City is so competitive that some of the guys could end up making other teams when it’s all said and done.
“We have a lot of guys in that receiving room,” Mahomes said. “If they don’t make our team, they’re going to make other teams.”
If the Chiefs find themselves in a position ahead of 53-man roster cuts where they’re going to release a good receiver, perhaps Brett Veach will opt to swap that player for a player at another position of need. Perhaps there is a team that finds themselves with a surplus of edge rushers, but is in need of a receiver? Just some food for thought.
Kehinde Oginni Hassan is not yet allowed to practice
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One player was present for OTAs, but he is not yet actually allowed to practice with the Chiefs. That is defensive lineman Kehinde Oginni Hassan, who was signed as an undrafted free agent. Hassan is an international player, hailing from Abakaliki, Nigeria.
As Chiefs HC Andy Reid explained to reporters, Hassan needs to have his work visa approved before he can partake in practice.
“I have talked to him, he is interesting,” Reid said. “He hasn’t been able to do anything with us until he gets his work visa, all the paperwork done. So, I don’t know much about that part. But he seems to enjoy it here, he’s engaged with people. But he hasn’t been able to do anything.”
Hassan is a bit of a project anyways given his current weight (225 pounds), so he’s not exactly missing out on too much right now during OTAs. Rest assured that things will be squared away soon and he’ll be able to come in and practice and play with the rest of the team.
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