After missing a day of on-field work, KC Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill returns to full practice
Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s absence from the practice field proved short.
Hill, who missed Wednesday’s practice becaue of a tender knee, returned to full work Thursday and didn’t appear limited in any team drill throughout the morning session.
The wide receiver’s knee became an issue Tuesday, which marked the team’s first camp practice in full pads. Hill left the practice and walked up the hill from the field under his own power, a positive sign that the ailment wasn’t serious.
“We just kind of pumped the brakes on it,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid explained Tuesday. It just showed up today, so we backed off of him.”
Hill wasn’t the only player to return to work Thursday.
Safety Juan Thornhill, who left Tuesday’s practice because of a groin injury, and tight end Nick Keizer (back) were in pads and practicing.
Keizer’s presence indicates he has been medically cleared and is off the non-football injury list.
Linebacker Willie Gay, who landed on concussion protocol during Wednesday’s practice, was not observed on the practice field Thursday.
Defensive end Alex Okafor, who left Wednesday’s practice with a hamstring injury, joined right tackle Mike Remmers (back), cornerback Deandre Baker (rest), offensive lineman Kyle Long (knee), rookie defensive end Malik Herring (knee), wide receiver Chad Williams (groin) and tight end Evan Baylis (ankle) worked off to side with trainers at the rehabilitation area.
Reid said wide receiver Antonio Callaway, who left Thursday’s practice, is dealing with a “tweaked knee” and will undergo further evaluation.
OBSERVATIONS
- Quarterback Patrick Mahomes made an incredible throw during goal line full-team drills. Mahomes rolled left, stopped on a dime, and then threw across his body into end zone. Wide receiver Demarcus Robinson came out of nowhere for the leaping catch and score at the back of the end zone, drawing a loud crowd roar.
- Wide receiver Mecole Hardman’s strong training camp continued with an early morning highlight-worthy play during full team drills. Hardman got deep and beat rookie safety Devon Key, who has been rotating with the first-team defense. Mahomes launched the ball deep, allowing Hardman to get under it and secure the long touchdown.
- During one-on-one pass protection drills, tight end Jody Fortson stonewalled safety Tyrann Mathieu. Fortson, who has quietly enjoyed a strong training camp, moved his feet well to hold off Mathieu from getting close to the quarterback. Mathieu turned in a better pass rush against Travis Kelce by beating the tight end off the edge.
- The offensive line and defensive line one-on-one battles are the highlight of any padded training camp practice, and Thursday was no different. Right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who is working with the second-team unit, destroyed rookie defensive end Joshua Kaindoh with a punishing block. Duvernay-Tardif finished off the physical block by pushing Kaindoh the ground.
- Second-year defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton produced an impressive play during team drills against the second-team offense. At the snap of the ball, Wharton got penetration, so much so that he was able to reach around running back Darwin Thompson to knock away a screen pass.
