The Kansas City Chiefs start training camp Sunday. Here's what to look for
The first Chiefs training camp practice that’s open to the public is July 26, but the sweating at Missouri Western begins on Sunday when rookies report.
Interest in the 2018 team went to another level after the trade that sent quarterback Alex Smith to Washington. Not that Chiefs fans didn’t appreciate Smith, who engineered four playoff seasons over five years, but the next guy is always more popular, especially when the team deals two first-round picks for him, as it did in 2017.
So it is with Patrick Mahomes.
Training camp will largely be about Mahomes growing with the offense and blending defensive newcomers with veterans such as Justin Houston, Eric Berry and Chris Jones to form a more productive unit.
An indication of where the two-time defending AFC West champs stand in the division comes early. Their regular-season opener is Sept. 9 at the Los Angeles Chargers.
Here’s the schedule for Chiefs training camp this year.
And here are five storylines to consider as the Chiefs head off to St. Joseph:
Secondary makeover
No position group has turned over as dramatically as cornerback and safety.
The return of safety Berry is the Chiefs’ biggest development here. He produced a terrific game against the Patriots in last season’s opener before rupturing an Achilles and missing the rest of the season. His absence was one of several reasons the defense dropped to 28th in the NFL.
The Chiefs will miss Ron Parker’s steady presence. Does rookie Armani Watts step in?
Five of the Chiefs’ top six cornerbacks from last season have moved on, including star Marcus Peters. Big things are expected from Kendall Fuller, acquired in the Smith trade. Steven Nelson will look to impress in a contract year, and David Amerson, coming off a down year with the Raiders, will look to step up.
The Chiefs had an opportunity to bolster this unit through the supplemental draft but passed, perhaps indicating a confidence in the status quo.
Better pass rush
The secondary would benefit from an improved pass rush. The Chiefs’ 31 sacks tied for 25th in the league last season, which was slightly better than 2016 but a far cry from the 47 they produced in 2015. Justin Houston’s 21 sacks over the past three seasons is one fewer than his 2014 total, but he remains the team’s top threat. Who can relieve him of double teams?
Dee Ford aims to bounce back after an injury-plagued 2017 season. The Chiefs believe Tanoh Kpassagnon can take a big step in his second year, and the Chiefs expect key help from Breeland Speaks, their first draft pick this year who was taken in the second round.
Tackle Chris Jones was effective as the team’s top force from the inside, but Pro Football Focus ranked the Chiefs’ pass rush a meager 27th headed into this season.
Ah, the quarterback
Is there a wider range of possible outcomes for any player headed into the season than Mahomes? The upside is dizzying. The Chiefs’ record for passing yards is 4,591 (set by Trent Green), and their record for quarterback touchdowns is 30 (Len Dawson). The weapons Mahomes has at his disposal, notably new wide receiver Sammy Watkins and a veteran group that features Pro Bowlers Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt, give the Chiefs a chance to have one of the NFL’s top offenses.
And yet ...
Mahomes has started just one NFL game, the regular-season finale at Denver last season with no playoff position on the line. He also took snaps in preseason games. He flashed otherworldly talent on some plays, made mistakes on others. The work-in-progress tag applies.
But there is no easing into the schedule for the second-year pro from Texas Tech. The Chiefs visit the Chargers and Steelers in the first two weeks of the season and meet AFC title-game participants Jacksonville and New England in their fifth and sixth weeks.
Chiefs fans aren’t tempering their enthusiasm, though, and they can’t be blamed. They haven’t had an opportunity to cheer for a first-round draft pick at quarterback since Todd Blackledge in 1983.
Feeling a draft class
Mahomes will be the single most interesting figure at camp, but the Chiefs’ 2018 draft class, which was loaded with defenders, also deserves your attention.
There might not be an opening-game starter in the group, but all of the drafted rookies will get plenty of snaps, starting with Speaks, an outside linebacker from Ole Miss who can also move inside.
Run-stuffing tackle Derek Nnadi, the third-round choice from Florida State, will push the pocket and push for playing time.
Linebacker Dorian O’Daniel from Clemson, also taken in the third round, is ticketed for all special teams and figures to see action in the Chiefs’ sub-packages.
Watts got first-team action in organized team activities and mini-camp when an extra safety was required.
Sixth-round pick Tremon Smith, a cornerback from Central Arkansas,impressed in the offseason and brings speed to the secondary.
Last year, only the Atlanta Falcons had fewer snaps taken by rookies than the Chiefs. Running back Kareem Hunt became the 2017 draft class’ lone starter. Count on more draft choices to be part of the Chiefs’ position rotations this season.
Keep owning the division
This could be the most competitive NFL division, with no team breaking away from the pack.
The Chiefs are the two-time defending champion but start over at quarterback and must fix a defense that had aged. Mahomes has the ideal coach in offensive mastermind Andy Reid.
The Chargers look like the division’s most balanced team, with a strong pass rush and quarterback Philip Rivers continuing to play at a high level. In their second year in Los Angeles, the Chargers should turn their cozy soccer stadium setting into a home-field advantage.
Case Keenum takes over at quarterback for the Broncos, who added to their superb defense with the addition of draft pick Bradley Chubb. But restoring the offense is the priority in Denver.
Old-school coach Jon Gruden is back in the game at Oakland. He’ll try to get the Raiders back to their form of 2016, when they finished 12-4.
Critical to the Chiefs’ success in recent years: ruling their division opponents. They’ve won 16 of their last 17 against AFC West opponents. The process of finding answers to continue that success begins on Sunday.