KC Chiefs training camp schedule released: Practice starts July 24 in St. Joseph

The 2014 season is within sight for the Chiefs, as the team announced its training camp schedule Thursday.

The Chiefs will kick off training camp with a practice at 3:30 p.m. on July 24 at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph. It is the first of 17 training camp practices that will be open to the public, with the last being held Aug 17.

Groups of players will sign autographs following each practice session. Each practice, except for the opening practice and family day, is free, though Missouri Western will charge a $5 parking fee per vehicle, per day.

The Chiefs’ annual American Family Fun Day will be Saturday, July 26. There will be a $5 admission fee, though children ages 3 and under will get in free, and the entire team will sign autographs afterward.

Practices that are moved indoors because of inclement weather will be closed to the public.

Thursday, July 24: 3:30 p.m. practice ($5 admission)

Friday, July 25: 8:15 a.m. practice (free)

Saturday, July 26: 8:15 a.m. practice, American Family Fun Day ($5 admission)

Sunday, July 27: 8:15 a.m. practice (free)

Monday, July 28: 8:15 a.m. practice (free)

Wednesday, July 30: 8:15 a.m. practice (free)

Thursday, July 31: 8:15 a.m. practice (free)

Friday, Aug. 1: 8:15 a.m. practice (free)

Saturday, Aug. 2: 8:15 a.m. practice (free)

Sunday, Aug. 3: 8:15 a.m. practice (free)

Monday, Aug. 4: 8:15 a.m. practice (free)

Saturday, Aug. 9: 8:15 a.m. practice (free)

Sunday, Aug. 10: 8:15 a.m. practice (free)

Monday, Aug. 11: 8:15 a.m. practice (free)

Tuesday, Aug. 12: 8:15 a.m. practice (free)

Wednesday, Aug. 13: 8:15 a.m. practice (free)

Thursday, Aug. 14: 8:15 a.m. practice (free)

Mission accomplished

Thursday marked the 13th and final practice of organized team activities, which means the Chiefs’ players and coaches won’t reconvene until training camp begins.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said the team had gotten a lot accomplished over the last month.

“It was good to get the guys through this camp. We added a few things to both sides of the ball and special teams, and I thought they handled it well,” Reid said. “I thought the guys came in in good shape and continued to build on that, and I thought they executed. There was some recall from the season, and then the new things we added they took it in and worked hard on it.”

But Reid said they still have a lot of work to do when they get to St. Joseph.

“The guys understand that; they are wired that way,” Reid said. “They don’t shy away from the work. Once we get up there, we will be ready to go. I think we are probably all excited to get there, but we probably need to take a deep breath, relax for a minute and then get up there and get going.”

For his part, Reid plans on taking some time off, too.

“I’m going to try and relax a little bit,” Reid said. “I’ve got a place out West I go to.”

Healing time

Reid said he was happy with the progress tight end Travis Kelce and receiver Kyle Williams made this week as both continue to work their way back from knee injuries.

After sitting out all 10 of the voluntary practices, both players ran routes and got a little work in during the early periods of practice.

“They did the individual periods and the group install periods, where we come together as a team and we run the plays versus air,” Reid said. “They didn’t do any offense versus defense. It was good. That’s the first step. It was good to get them back out there and moving around. They looked like they were strong and in good shape from what we asked them to do. The main thing was they had no swelling in the joints that they had operated on. That’s a plus.”

Roster move

The Chiefs cut defensive tackle Chas Alecxih on Thursday.

Alecxih, 25, who is listed at 6 feet 3 and 296 pounds, went undrafted out of Pittsburgh in 2012. He signed with Miami and appeared briefly on “Hard Knocks” before he was released in training camp in 2012.

With the move, the Chiefs have 88 players on their roster. The club is currently allowed to carry a maximum of 90, which means additional moves could be coming.

Injury report

Left tackle Donald Stephenson (calf), cornerback Phillip Gaines (ankle) and tight end Sean McGrath (knee) did not practice.

Running back Joe McKnight was also held out of practice because of some swelling in his knee.

Receiver Weston Dressler (hamstring) was on the field but was limited.

Etc.

Outside linebacker Justin Houston missed all three practices of the team’s mandatory minicamp. His absence is thought to be related to his contract, because he has only one more year remaining on a rookie deal that makes him one of the team’s lowest-paid starters on defense.

This story was originally published June 19, 2014 at 6:51 PM with the headline "KC Chiefs training camp schedule released: Practice starts July 24 in St. Joseph."