With tensions high and guys tired, Chiefs fight at camp. Here’s who did the pushing.
Camp fight!
Time is running out on the Missouri Western portion of Chiefs training camp, and tempers hadn’t flared … until Monday.
The skirmish was low-key and over in seconds. After an inside run, offensive lineman Andrew Wylie got in a pushing match with defensive end Jarvis Jenkins. Justin Houston got there in the end. The action was on the far end of the field, away from the media, and there was no video of this practice period.
When it was over, quarterback Patrick Mahomes patted the helmets of the antagonists.
“Tensions were high — it was at the end of practice, everyone’s tired,” Wylie said. “That stuff stays on the field. I love the defensive guys to death. We’re all working hard.
How do these things get started? Typically a block or contact continues a beat or so too long after the play is blown dead.
“But they usually never go far, and this one didn’t,” Wylie said. “No one got hurt or anything.”
Wylie has been working with the first team at right guard with Laurent Duvernay-Tardif recovering from a concussion. Wylie, a second-year pro who played at Eastern Michigan, spent most of last season bouncing on and off the Colts’ practiced squad and also spent time on the practice squads of the Browns and Chargers.
Injury tent
The Chiefs confirmed Duvernay-Tardif has entered the NFL’s concussion protocol. He wasn’t at practice Monday. Neither was safety Eric Berry, who remained out with a sore heel.
It was the second straight missed practice for Berry, who didn’t play in the preseason opener.
Running back Damien Williams also missed practice with a shoulder injury.
Returning to practice on Monday was safety Leon McQuay.
The offense
The day’s highlight play: Mahomes scrambled out of the pocket to his right. He was chased by Dee Ford, who had lost his helmet. Before running out of bounds, Mahomes fired a strike in the middle of the field to Tyreek Hill. Four defenders were closing in on Hill. It was an amazing play.
Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said he doesn’t know if running back Spencer Ware will be ready to play on Friday in Atlanta. Ware suffered a torn PCL in a preseason game last season and has only worked back into contract drills in the last few days.
“I know if it was up to Spence, he would be out there,” Bieniemy said. “We’ll sit down and have those discussions about playing time going forward. I’m just excited to have him out there.”
The defense
Eric Murray and rookie Armani Watts, who started the preseason opener, were the first-team safeties on Monday.
Lineman Xavier Williams, who missed Sunday’s workout with a stinger, was back on the field.
Up next
The Chiefs drop the curtain on training camp in St. Joseph on Tuesday with a 9:15 a.m. workout. It’s Military Appreciation Day. When the Chiefs return from Friday’s game at Atlanta, they’ll resume camp at the University of Kansas Hospital Training Complex at Arrowhead Stadium. Those practices are closed to the public.
This story was originally published August 13, 2018 at 1:57 PM.