This Chiefs rookie opted out. But even though he’s gone, he’s not forgotten at camp
The Chiefs liked rookie offensive lineman Lucas Niang enough to use a third-round pick on him in the 2020 NFL Draft. He would have competed for playing time during training camp.
Whatever plans Kansas City had in mind for the TCU product this year went out the window when Niang elected to opt out of the regular season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Chiefs remain understanding and respectful of Niang’s decision.
“Let’s make sure we’re being fair to Lucas,” offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said Saturday after practice. “Let’s just say this: Lucas opted out for whatever reason and hats off. Kudos to him.
“Now, you have to admire his decision and when he comes back, we’ll welcome him back with open arms.”
Niang became the third Chiefs player to decide against playing in 2020 while the country continues to deal with the coronavirus situation, joining right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and running back Damien Williams.
Missing time — a full season, at that — could be a large obstacle upon their return. And this is especially true for a rookie offensive lineman who requires essential practice repetitions to further his development.
Niang will also be absent for the team’s position group meetings, where the chance to pick the brains of veteran teammates like Eric Fisher, Mitchell Schwartz and Austin Reiter would’ve been invaluable.
“The thing he’s going to miss out more than anything is just having an opportunity to absorb that information,” Bieniemy said. “You want to go out there and work through it, but more than anything just the knowledge that’s going to be presented because of the vets that we have in the building now. We got a lot of valuable guys who can pass on a great deal of knowledge, so he’s missing out on that.”
The Chiefs continue their march toward the regular season with adequate depth on the offensive line, especially at the guard positions. They signed veteran Mike Remmers during free agency, then brought in veteran Kelechi Osemele, a former All-Pro selection and two-time Pro Bowler, in the wake of Duvernay-Tardif’s opt-out.
While the Chiefs didn’t add another offensive lineman after Niang opted out, Andrew Wylie, Martinas Rankin and Nick Allegretti return from their 2019 roster. So the team has options this fall.
As for Niang, the Chiefs look forward to welcoming this year’s third-round pick home in 2021.
“When he comes back next year, we’ll be waiting on him and he’ll be ready,” Bieniemy said.
PARTICIPATION REPORT
Defensive end Frank Clark, who missed Friday’s practice with a stomach virus unrelated to COVID-19, was back to work Saturday.
Defensive tackle Chris Jones is dealing with a groin injury and did not practice. Jones was observed working off to the side with a trainer and a group consisting of cornerback Antonio Hamilton (groin), defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (undisclosed), tight end Deon Yelder (groin), free safety Juan Thornhill (knee) and offensive lineman Martinas Rankin (knee).
The Chiefs announced after practice that cornerback Alex Brown is dealing with a knee injury and wide receiver Byron Pringle and cornerback Lavert Hill had suffered hamstring injuries.
Defensive tackle Devaroe Lawrence and linebacker Darius Harris were given excused absences for the second straight day due to personal reasons. Rookie cornerback BoPete Keyes (orbital fracture) remains on the non-football injury (NFI) list.
WELCOME TO CAMP, ROOKIE
Rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire probably wasn’t expecting to be on the receiving end of a hit from defensive end Clark after catching a pass in the flat during team drills.
Clark, however, formally introduced himself with a pad-smacking blow that completely altered Edwards-Helaire’s direction and sent the running back out of bounds.
No harm, no foul.
“Hey, that’s football,” Bieniemy said with a laugh. “Frank got him, he tagged him a little bit. Welcome the rookie in. That’s part of the game.”
To Edwards-Helaire’s credit, he maintained his balance and didn’t fall down once he went out of bounds. From an observational point of view, the play was clean, even if the Chiefs likely prefer to not see their first-round pick get blasted in practice.
OBSERVATIONS
The NFL’s and Chiefs’ media rules during training camp without fans in attendance — fans cannot attend this year because of the pandemic — prohibit the reporting of personnel groupings (first- or second- or third-team units), specific formations/alignments, trick plays, situational plays and statistics.
Still allowed, however, are general observations about head-turning and notable plays:
• Stop if you’ve heard this before: Patrick Mahomes is money, literally and figuratively. OK, yes, it’s early in training camp and the defense hasn’t been tackling to the ground, but Mahomes’ accuracy was on full display during team drills. The Chiefs’ superstar quarterback connected deep with wide receiver Mecole Hardman, who beat cornerback Charvarius Ward. Mahomes also took advantage of a mismatch when he found tight end Travis Kelce for a touchdown with safety Daniel Sorensen in coverage. Mahomes high-pointed the pass, allowing Kelce to out-leap Sorensen for the score, which the star tight end celebrated with an emphatic spike in the end zone.
• While Mahomes is as good as it gets at the quarterback position, Tyrann Mathieu is no slouch himself at the safety position. The two-time All Pro safety showed exceptional ball-hawking skills in coverage against wide receiver Sammy Watkins during team drills. Mahomes unleashed a quick pass to Watkins, who appeared open. But Mathieu broke cleanly on the pass before diving in front of Watkins to knock away the ball. Numerous players on defense celebrated Mathieu’s play with fist bumps and cheers of approval.
• Another day, another Jody Fortson mention. First off, the second-year wide receiver is hard to miss on the field because of his 6-foot-6, 230-pound frame. But he is definitely hard to ignore when he appears to effortlessly catch the ball, like he did Saturday for a second straight day. During one team drill, Fortson showed an understanding of taking what the defense gives by squaring off his route to sit in the soft spot of zone coverage and then came wide open. The quarterback found him and completed the pass.
• It’s not training camp until there’s a minor skirmish between players. Defensive tackle Pennel and guard Osemele obliged with a disagreement after a play during team drills. Teammates on both sides of the ball quickly moved in to separate the two as they continued to jaw at each other. Following the brief entanglement, Pennel and Osemele went about their business.
