8 takeaways following conclusion of Chiefs training camp
On Thursday, the Kansas City Chiefs completed their final training camp practice of the year.
The team has officially laid the groundwork for the 2022 NFL season with all of the practice sessions and team meetings over the past several weeks. From here on out, the team will switch over to regular-season mode and give players a taste of what that’s like for the remainder of the preseason.
We’ve learned a lot about this team during the course of training camp, as they provided a unique glimpse into what we can expect for the future. Here’s a look at eight overarching takeaways from the entirety of the team’s training camp:
Chiefs leaning into the youth movement in secondary
AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski
The Chiefs are leaning heavily into the youth movement that they have going on in the secondary this season, specifically at the cornerback position. The team released veteran cornerbacks Deandre Baker (a former first-round pick) and Lonnie Johnson Jr. (a former second-round pick, who they traded to acquire) because of the confidence they have in their young cornerback group.
First-round pick Trent McDuffie will undoubtedly play early and be a big part of the team’s plans on defense. Fourth-round pick Joshua Williams, seventh-round pick Jaylen Watson and seventh-round pick Nazeeh Johnson figure into Kansas City’s plans at the cornerback this season. Right now, DC Steve Spagnuolo is determining how well that group of young corners responds to adversity.
“All the young corners have been playing real well,” Spagnuolo said. “Dave (Merritt) and Donald (D’Alesio) have been doing a great job with them. We’ve got to figure it all out. To me, it still comes back to how you respond in a game. Now, they’ve got some more games to go here. More than anything, how they respond when it doesn’t go well. That’s really what I have my eye on. Yesterday, we didn’t have some snaps that went well for some guys and I’m looking to see how they (respond). Especially at that position, right? You can’t put your head in the sand or else they’re coming right back at you.”
How the remainder of the preseason shapes up could be the difference between some of these rookies playing a reserve role and earning opportunities with the starters moving forward. No matter what, it seems as if they’ll all contribute in some shape or form, which is a big positive for the team.
JuJu Smith-Schuster looks like the new WR1 in Kansas City
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If I had to name one player who has taken over for Tyreek Hill as the Chiefs’ WR1 during training camp, the answer would be Smith-Schuster. Obviously, the skill sets and styles are vastly different, but Smith-Schuster is someone who has picked up the slack in Hill’s absence.
Outside of maybe Travis Kelce, Smith-Schuster has been the most impressive player at training camp on offense. He has boasted great chemistry with Patrick Mahomes right away, but he’s also looking great in his own right. He’s been getting open practically at will during the course of training camp, even on the plays when he’s not thrown to.
It might be some time before Chiefs fans get to see it, with Smith-Schuster dealing with a sore knee and possibly sitting the remainder of the preseason, but he’s the real deal. He’s poised to be a big part of the offense in 2022.
Year 3 could be special for Willie Gay Jr.
AP Photo/David Banks
No. 50 was easily the best-looking defender from the team’s 2021’s training camp, but injuries helped stifle that success from carrying over into the regular season. This year, Gay has been back with a vengeance at training camp, improving upon his performance from the year prior.
Gay’s closing speed is something to behold, with his elite athleticism flashing on nearly every snap. His instincts to knife into the backfield and get into throwing lanes have been equally as impressive. This could be the year that Gay becomes an every-down linebacker for the Chiefs. The physical attributes are certainly there, it’s just a matter of whether to coaching staff trusts him with those responsibilities.
Chiefs' defensive line could surprise some people in 2022
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Ahead of the 2019 NFL season, if you had asked Kansas City Chiefs fans their biggest position of concern, they would have said the cornerback room. All of the sudden, the team goes out and signs Bashaud Breeland and Mo Claiborne, Charvarius Ward takes his game to a new level, Kendall Fuller becomes a versatile piece, and now the team has what turns out to be a very solid cornerback group.
Fast-forward to the 2022 NFL season and you’re looking at a very similar picture with the defensive line group. The team goes out and grabs Carlos Dunlap and Danny Shelton to reinforce the defensive line. Frank Clark looks renewed and refreshed after some offseason changes. George Karlaftis has a great preseason debut. Tershawn Wharton looks to have taken a step up.
This defensive line group has gone from a potential concern to a potential strength of the team in a very short period of time. Obviously, they’ll have to prove it all in the regular season, but there’s plenty of reason to shift your concerns to excitement.
Andy Reid reinvigorated to take offense to new heights
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
He won’t exactly say it publicly, but Andy Reid seems to have taken exception to the idea that his offense won’t be as successful without Tyreek Hill. He has a noticeably different energy about him at training camp this year, so much so that reporters have continually asked position coaches about it throughout camp.
“I mean just take a look at the offense and what he did in Philly in comparison to what we’ve done since we’ve been here collectively as a group since the 2013 season,” Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy told reporters. “So, one thing I know about Coach, and he’s said this, I’ll never forget this in 1999, ‘You either evolve or you die out like a dinosaur’ (laughter) so you have to remain flexible in what you do in this profession because we all have to grow and we just can’t get stuck on ideas thinking that’s the best idea. We’ve got to always work to improve.”
Reid and the rest of the coaching staff seem determined to help this offense grow and evolve around Patrick Mahomes. It might not be the same as it was before, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Isiah Pacheco, Skyy Moore primed for success on offense, special teams
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Two of the stars of training camp, Pacheco and Moore, should contribute right away in Kansas City. Pacheco has earned quite a bit of hype out of training camp as a seventh-round draft pick getting run with the first-team offense. Moore already had plenty of hype coming out of the draft and that has only intensified with every route ran in practice.
While most fans are looking forward to their contributions on offense, they might see their biggest contributions come on special teams. Dave Toub has claimed that Pacheco will get every chance to be the team’s starting kick returner in 2022. For Moore, he’s hoping that the rookie wideout can become the team’s starting punt returner. Mecole Hardman and Trent McDuffie are up for that job too, but both are likely for full-time roles on offense and defense, respectively. Moore is the logical choice should he perform well enough in the preseason.
Justin Watson quietly rising through Chiefs' WR ranks
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
After a breakout performance in preseason Week 1 where he caught 6-of-7 passes for 45 yards and a touchdown, Watson is rising up through the Chiefs’ receiving ranks. The former fifth-round draft pick has accepted the challenge of filling in for others in a pinch. With JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman out of practice recently, Watson has earned more opportunities to work with Patrick Mahomes and the first-team offense.
Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy recently praised Watson for his consistency.
“Well I’ll say this about Mr. (Justin) Watson… (he’s) a consistent player,” Bieniemy said. “And the thing about it, everyday he goes out there he’s working to improve upon something and everyday he’s found a way to make a play, so (I’m) very pleased and satisfied with what we’ve seen so far, but he knows that he needs to continue working and continue improving on the little things.”
Watson appears to be the perfect depth player for Kansas City and could prove vital to the team’s success in 2022.
A few players have an uphill battle to make the roster
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With training camp in the books, several players now have just two preseason games to showcase their talents to the world. Andy Reid ramps up the reps of his starters as the preseason goes on, which means that a lot of the players working with the second-team and third-team won’t have as many opportunities during those games.
Players like RB Ronald Jones, WR Josh Gordon, WR Cornell Powell, RB Derrick Gore, DE Joshua Kaindoh and others are really going to have a tough time making the 53-man roster if they can’t capitalize on those few opportunities in these upcoming games. To this point, none of those listed have done enough to be considered locks to make the team. They need to make their presence felt and give Brett Veach a tough decision to make when the next two waves of roster cuts roll around.
