Kansas City Chiefs set for 3-day mandatory minicamp. Here are 5 areas to monitor
The Kansas City Chiefs have some unfinished business with the evaluation process in the coming week during a three-day mandatory minicamp, which runs Tuesday through Thursday, ahead of late July’s training camp.
And the team enters the week on a high note because of what they accomplished during the recently concluded 10 days of voluntary organized team activities.
“Working hard, good effort,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said last week, which marked the final four days of OTAs. “Young guys are getting better, which is a plus. Still throwing a ton at them. They’re doing well. Appreciate their effort.”
The Chiefs aren’t expected to do anything too much different from OTAs, which saw new players and veterans come together for on-field work. Of note, players remain in shorts and helmets, and are not allowed to go through full-contact drills, which won’t happen until the pads come on in training camp.
What will occur during the minicamp, though, is the continued learning process during position group meetings and install periods, and then the application of concepts and plays during team-related drills.
“We’re not going to go back and have to rehash everything; we’ll just kind of keep it going,” Reid said. “We did that early though, we kind of redid everything back then, but we’ve had good attendance, especially with the new guys.
“I’ve been happy with that, so we’re just going to keep plowing through and get it knocked out.”
In the meantime, there are important areas to monitor before training camp. Here are five of them:
THE BROWN SITUATION
Let’s get the obvious out of the way because there’s a high likelihood that Reid will once again be asked on the status of left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who has yet to sign his franchise tag.
Brown, who didn’t attend OTAs, is not under contract. He won’t likely to be in attendance during the mandatory minicamp and he’s not subject to a fine.
What was learned during OTAs is that Brown finally hired an agent and Reid said general manager Brett Veach has been in touch with Brown’s new representative, all of which is a step in the right direction.
Barring something getting done in the coming week, the date to circle is July 15, which is the NFL’s deadline for teams to have a long-term contract in place for franchised tagged players. Deadlines, especially in the NFL, spur action and there is time, a point Veach emphasized in early May.
In the event a deal is not in place by July 15, Brown would play the 2022 regular season under the franchise tag, which pays $16.6 million, provided he signs it.
IDENTIFYING THE SWING TACKLE
Brown’s absence from the offseason workout program did have a benefit because it allowed the Chiefs to look closely at a pair of veteran backup tackles in Geron Christian and Roderick Johnson.
Andrew Wylie appears to have the first shot at right tackle, but the Chiefs must identify the all-important backup player who possesses the flexibility to play both tackle positions.
The Chiefs signed Christian to a one-year deal during free agency, and Johnson joined the Chiefs’ practice squad during the postseason last year before signing a reserve/future deal in early February 2022.
Both players bring experience.
Christian, who entered the NFL in 2018 as a third-round pick with the Washington Commanders, has appeared in 38 career games with 16 starts over the past four seasons with Washington (2018-20) and the Houston Texans (2021).
Johnson, a former 2017 fifth-round pick with the Cleveland Browns, appeared in 29 career games with six starts in three seasons with the Texans (2018-20).
Christian and Johnson will have their opportunities to draw valuable repetitions during minicamp, and the Chiefs also have rookie Darian Kinnard, the team’s fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, to consider.
CONTINUED CHEMISTRY
From connecting on no-look passes to one-handed catches during team drills, it was clear quarterback Patrick Mahomes and wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling clicked during the offseason workout program.
Granted, the on-field work is done in a controlled environment with no contact allowed, a top consideration when taking in unpadded practices. But the Mahomes to Valdes-Scantling connection was hard to ignore during the three days of media availability of OTAs.
The Chiefs revamped the wide receiver position during the offseason by trading Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins, and then opted to not bring back Byron Pringle, Demarcus Robinson and Marcus Kemp.
Valdes-Scantling, who signed a three-year deal during free agency, joins JuJu Smith-Schuster, second-round pick Skyy Moore, Corey Coleman, Justin Watson, Omar Bayless, Gary Jennings, Matthew Sexton and undrafted rookie free agent Justyn Ross as new blood. They join Mecole Hardman, Josh Gordon, Daurice Fountain and Cornell Powell, all of whom carried over from either the 2021 active roster or practice squad.
Chiefs coach wide receivers coach Joe Bleymaier said during OTAs that each wide receiver will get a chance to “write their own story” when it comes to defining specific roles in the offense.
Of the group, Valdes-Scantling appears well on the way to writing it and he can use the minicamp to continue building momentum ahead of training camp.
CORNERBACK ROTATION
Like the wide receiver position, the Chiefs’ cornerback group is undergoing transition after Charvarius Ward and Mike Hughes signed with other teams during free agency.
The Chiefs bolstered the position by adding Trent McDuffie, Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson in the 2022 draft, and then traded for Lonnie Johnson to go alongside returning players L’Jarius Sneed, Rashad Fenton and Deandre Baker, among others.
Needless to say, there’s plenty of competition here, especially on the depth chart after McDuffie and Sneed, the projected starters in the Chiefs’ 4-3 base scheme.
The Chiefs will give Williams and Johnson a thorough look in the coming months before the start of the regular season as they look to solidify the nickel cornerback position.
HEALTH FRONT
Fenton’s shoulder has prevented him from participating in on-field work during OTAs, and his absence opened the door for other cornerbacks to get repetitions. The Chiefs previously said they hoped for Fenton to be ready by the start of training camp.
Hardman suffered a hamstring injury during OTAs, and it remains to be seen if he will return to action during the minicamp.
Offensive tackle Lucas Niang, who started nine games at right tackle in 2021, continues to rehabilitate a torn patellar tendon suffered in last season’s regular season finale. He isn’t expected back until the end of training camp.
