Chiefs’ Andy Reid wastes no time addressing Tyreek Hill, Chris Jones at training camp
Andy Reid didn’t waste much time before addressing the big topics surrounding the Chiefs as rookies and quarterbacks reported to training camp Tuesday afternoon.
In his opening statement, Reid discussed both wide receiver Tyreek Hill and Chris Jones — both significant storylines throughout the Chiefs’ offseason.
Days earlier, the NFL ruled Hill wouldn’t be suspended or fined after a four-month league investigation into a child abuse probe involving Hill found he did not violate the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
“Let’s talk about Tyreek,” Reid said, a minute into his opening statement. “I know that’s a hot topic. The law enforcement side of it, there’s been statements made on that. There’s been statements made by the Chiefs. There’s been statements made by Tyreek and with all those, we obviously, we’re comfortable with Tyreek coming back here. ...
“We look forward to bringing him back here and having an opportunity to get back and doing what he loves to do. He has some obligations that he’ll take care of as he goes and I’m not going to get into all that. I’m going to kind of end it after this here.
“You’ve all read all the statements, as we have, and we have the trust in Tyreek and we’re going to go forward in a positive way.”
Reid paused and took a breath before addressing Jones’ situation.
“Chris Jones would be the other topic of interest, I’m sure,” Reid said. “Chris, we’ll know more. Our people have talked with Chris’ people and there’s been communication there. And so, we’ll just see whether he’s here or not here. We obviously want him here, and he probably wants to be here too.
“We’ll see how all of that works out.”
With the first few days of practice focused on rookies and quarterbacks, Jones wasn’t expected to arrive Tuesday. The earliest Jones is scheduled to arrive is Friday, with the rest of the veterans, but he’s in the midst of contract negotiations and may hold out longer.
The first practice including veterans is scheduled for Saturday afternoon. That’s also the first day practice is open to the public.
“I’ve said this before, you miss days, you miss days,” Reid said. “This is a unique situation in that we’ve had a change in defense and so on. It’s probably beneficial to be here.”
Neither Hill nor Jones participated in any of the team’s offseason workouts. Hill was barred from team activities until the NFL’s decision came down on Friday, while Jones chose to do individual workouts in Miami for most of the summer.
Both players will have to play catch-up when they finally arrive in St. Joseph, but Reid isn’t too worried about Hill getting up to speed.
Though Hill couldn’t formally practice with the Chiefs, he spent time with his teammates, running routes and catching passes from reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes in private workouts with the rest of the receivers.
“We put in a few new things,” Reid said. “He and Patrick have worked together and the receiving corps is very close and they’ve all been together. I’m sure they’re catching him up on stuff.
“Until you get out there and do it, you haven’t done it. It’ll be a few new things for him. He’s one of those guys that’s always in great shape. He’s got that speed and endurance, which is very unique.”
While Reid kept his distance from Hill as the NFL’s investigation process played out, Mahomes was in frequent contact with the wide receiver throughout the summer.
“He’s in an excited mindset, I guess you would say,” Mahomes said. “He’s ready to get out here and be a part of the guys and get to enjoy this.
“It’s a brotherhood and we’re excited that we get to go out there and just build with each other and get better together.”
This story was originally published July 23, 2019 at 4:06 PM.