Chiefs Training Camp: Patrick Mahomes May Have His Best Bookend Tackles Yet
Second stop on my tour is an hour or so north of Kansas City, and there isn’t a ton in St. Joseph, home of Missouri Western where the Chiefs practice, but there were a lot of fans out there braving triple-digit heat indexes to see the champs. Here’s what I took away from the visit …
1. Kansas City’s excited about its tackle situation, with big-money right tackle Jawaan Taylor and veteran left tackle Donovan Smith—who the team scooped off the market the week of the draft—aboard. Of course, the pads aren’t on yet (they start Friday here), and things can change, but the Chiefs actually feel this might be the best set of bookends they’ve had at the position since Patrick Mahomes became the starter in 2018.
Albert Breer’s Training Camp Tour
Tuesday: Lions Training Camp: Versatile Secondary Gives Defense an Aggressive Edge
Wednesday: Patrick Mahomes May Have His Best Bookend Tackles Yet
Thursday: Vikings camp in Eagan, Minn.
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2. Defensively, the team is in an interesting spot with four ascending corners on rookie deals, all of whom are highly thought of here—La’Jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie, Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson. And the management of Sneed and McDuffie early in camp has allowed for Williams and Watson to get more quality work with the first defense.
3. Receiver is probably the spot where there’s the most the Chiefs have to sort through over the next month, and that was only exacerbated by the loss of Kadarius Toney (for the time being). The good news is that Skyy Moore has turned heads with his progress, and he could play a role such as Albert Wilson once did here in Andy Reid’s offense, and Rashee Rice, who had some fits and starts in the spring, reported for camp in much better shape and now looks like a potential Day 1 contributor. Add those two to Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Justin Watson, and then Toney when he gets back, and there are options here, but clarity is needed.
4. If you want a camp dark-horse, Deneric Prince is one to watch. At 220 pounds, he’s a capable receiver out of the backfield, and has brought hope that, for a second consecutive year, the Chiefs have dug up a gem. Last year, of course, it was seventh-round pick Isiah Pacheco. This time around, it might be the undrafted rookie from Tulsa.
5. Mahomes is still Mahomes. It’s really obvious how the team goes as he does, and one thing that’s really apparent—and we’ll have more on this Monday—is how active he’s been in bringing along all of the young receivers here. I know Reid really appreciates the investment Mahomes made in those guys, and really an entire operation that’s become as much his as it is anyone’s, seven years into his career.