Chiefs show off wide receiver depth at Sunday’s practice as Tyreek Hill rests
The Chiefs’ wide receivers boast the most depth of any position group on the offensive side of the ball.
Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Demarcus Robinson, Mecole Hardman, Gehrig Dieter, Byron Pringle, Marcus Kemp.
And with Hill taking Sunday off to allow his quad contusion to settle down, the team wasted little time spreading the ball around.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed passes to four different players to open the first session of 11-on-11, throwing to Robinson, Travis Kelce, Hardman and Watkins.
On the field for 40.1% of the offensive snaps a season ago, Robinson is primed for a bigger opportunity in this year’s offense with the free-agency departure of Chris Conley, who logged 76.7% of offensive snaps.
Robinson’s natural chemistry with Mahomes was on display in 2018 with 22 catches — four of them going for touchdowns, including the 89-yard strike for Mahomes’ 50th touchdown of the season — and 288 yards. Against the Ravens, Mahomes scrambled away from defenders invading the pocket and whipped a throw across his body to a wide-open Robinson. A week later against the Chargers, Mahomes scrambled to keep a play alive near the goal line, finally firing the ball when he found a streaking Robinson.
“It isn’t by chance that him and Pat connect on scramble plays,” offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said. “He knows that if 11 is on the back side, somewhere along the way he’s going to find him. That’s important.”
That connection was further developed in the offseason as the pair worked out together along with a handful of the other receivers.
To take a step forward this year, Robinson needs to be as versatile as possible. Bieniemy expects Robinson to learn every receiving position.
“When he’s playing wide receiver, he’s not just the Z or the X, we want him to know it all,” Bieniemy said. “One thing I will say, he’s done a very, very good job to this point of accepting that challenge and he’s excelled.”
Robinson isn’t the only receiver excelling on and off the field this training camp. Rookie Hardman had his best practice of training camp on Sunday. He caught multiple passes from Mahomes without a drop. He got knocked down on the first play of the final 11-on-11 period on a jet sweep, but after being helped up and spending a little time on the sideline, Hardman returned to the live period.
“I see a kid gaining confidence through his execution,” Bieniemy said. “At the end of the day, he’s still a rookie. He still has to learn how to become a professional. It’s OK to flash, but it’s great to be consistent.”
While the top four receivers — Hill, Watkins, Robinson and Hardman — are a lock to make the 53-man roster, the tightest competition in camp is the battle to make the final two wide receiver spots with the embarrassment of riches in that position group.
Chiefs brass made sure to talk up Byron Pringle during the offseason, and the receiver has been solid in camp so far. But he’s not a lock to make the roster. He’ll be fighting for one of those final spots along with Gehrig Dieter, rookie Cody Thompson and Kemp.
“I’m pretty sure it’s going to be hard on the coaches,” Watkins said earlier in the week. “We have 13 guys, and literally, I think all these guys that are in the group have a chance to go out there and play. It’s a great group, it’s competitive and I wish the best for the guys that don’t make the team and go somewhere else.”
Though Pringle entered camp with a perceived edge, Kemp surged in Sunday’s practice in the continued absence of Dieter (back) and Hill. A key player on special teams a year ago, Kemp reeled in deep throws from Mahomes to give a glimpse of what he could do in the offense if given the reps.
“Marcus Kemp is just one of those steady-eddy guys,” Bieniemy said. “He’s fought and scratched from the bottom of the roster, earned a spot on our team as a practice squad guy, has developed a reputation for being a heck of a special teams player, and when he gets called upon — when guys get pulled from practice — he just jumps in there and finds a way to make plays. Those are the types of people that we want in our organization.”