Added bulk, confidence have aided Chiefs cornerback Phillip Gaines’ starting bid

Since organized team activities began in late May, Phillip Gaines has been making a daily push to be the Chiefs’ starting corner opposite Sean Smith.

And one play he made, just two practices in, was the first of many that have offered proof he just might have the goods to win it.

On May 27, Gaines — the Chiefs’ third-round pick in 2014 — found himself locked in single coverage vs. the Chiefs’ newly-signed, $55-million speedster Jeremy Maclin.

Maclin began accelerating down the field, eating up the cushion Gaines provided at the line of scrimmage, when Gaines read the play, flipped his hips and proceeded to run with Maclin, stride-for-stride, as he saw a gorgeous deep pass from quarterback Alex Smith sail their way.

“With his type of speed, I bailed,” Gaines said. “I saw Alex’s shoulders drop back so I knew it was a fade, so I knew I just had to get out of there and drive and just try to find the ball. And once I did that, it’s up to you to make a play.”

Gaines did just that, deflecting the pass away at the last instant.

It was just one play, but sticking with Maclin downfield is more than a notion — he repeatedly torched defensive backs last season, when he caught 85 passes for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns in Eagles coach Chip Kelly’s high-octane offense.

That’s why Gaines earned quick praise from his position coaches, Al Harris and Emmitt Thomas, for his performance on the play.

“They said ‘Good play, move on to the next one,” Gaines said. “You never get too high or too low. You try to stay even-keeled and make the next one.”

Gaines understands the importance of this better than most. After some initial growing pains during OTAs and training camp a year ago, the lanky 6-foot-1 corner went on to post a decent rookie season, posting 20 tackles and four pass deflections in 376 defensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

“He’s smart and he’s fast and he’s got good hips,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “He hit a low during training camp where nothing was going right for him for about two days there. And then he kind of picked himself off the mat and whether he rearranged his thought process — whatever it was that took place — he just kept getting better from that point.

“He had some good downs for us last year and now coming out here, he’s jumped right in and he looks terrific.”

This is certainly positive early feedback for Gaines, who will have to fight off two rookies (first-rounder Marcus Peters and third-rounder Steven Nelson) and two holdovers (Jamell Fleming and Marcus Cooper) for the starting job opposite Smith.

And while he still has a long way to go to officially seize the job — after all, Nelson and Peters won’t arrive for OTAs until next week due to NCAA rules — it’s proof that Gaines has certainly made some positive strides, especially since that two-day stretch in camp last year that Reid mentioned.

“I was just getting beat on plays I’m used to making, and I just wasn’t doing it,” Gaines said. “I knew I had to bear down and get better and start making those plays … The NFL’s timing on throws and route trees are a lot (better) than in college so I had to learn what they were trying to do to formation-wise and pick up from there. You just keep competing.”

Gaines had no shortage of support in the locker room, however, as Smith and others did what they could to help him through his rookie struggles.

“I told him, ‘Look, man, you are the boss of your business — this game is your resume. Whatever you need to do to get yourself better, let’s do it. So if you need extra work in the meeting room, let’s do it. You want to go on the field and talk, let’s do it. I’m here to help you however,’” Smith said.

“You’ve got Al (Harris) and Emmitt (Thomas) as your coaches. There are so many tools you can use to get better. Do whatever you need to do so when you go out there you put forth a good showing.’”

Thus far, Smith has seen a positive change in Gaines.

“(He has) more confidence,” Smith said. “Coming in, it started off kind of shaky with him, but as the season progressed, he got better and better with his technique and now he’s just seeing the game more: route concepts, things of that nature, learning splits, releases and stems, just being a student of the game. He’s starting to pick that thing up really well.”

Gaines also has something else going for him — added bulk. After a full offseason of training, Gaines says he now checks in at 188 pounds, as opposed to the 182 pounds he played at last year.

“I like this weight,” said Gaines, who hopes to get up to 193 pounds. “I was just here with Barry (Rubin) and the strength staff. They did a wonderful job getting your numbers up and adding bulk. They did a real good job with that.”

Gaines has spent plenty of time as the nickel corner in OTAs — just like he did last season — and he expects the extra bulk to help him against the run. That’s important,, since he’s often closer to the box (and the threat of pulling offensive linemen and fullbacks) than the outside corners.

“You’ve got to have your head on a swivel and attack them in ways that can work to your advantage,” Gaines said of the linemen. “I’m not going to go in there trying to blow up any linemen or anything.”

Gaines, however, added that the extra bulk will probably be more helpful when defending the pick plays and screens that have become more popular than ever.

“(It will help) just getting off blocks and stuff,” Gaines said. “A lot of teams are going to fast screens, switchblade-type plays, so weight always helps you when you’re trying to disengage from a blocker.”

Gaines’ coaches have noticed, though they noted there is still plenty of room for improvement.

“Stronger, he’s stronger,” Thomas said. “He could always run. What we’d like for him to do now is upgrade his ball skills, his interception ability.”

To the receivers Gaines is regularly facing, there’s little reason to think he won’t get there.

“He’s getting a lot better, and he’s learning how to adjust,” receiver Jason Avant said. “He has some up (plays) he has some down (plays) but he’s like the stock market — he’s constantly getting better.”

This story was originally published June 9, 2015 at 7:37 PM with the headline "Added bulk, confidence have aided Chiefs cornerback Phillip Gaines’ starting bid."