Kansas City Chiefs OTAs: Battle underway with free agent and rookie, plus three more key takeaways ahead of mandatory practices
The Kansas City Chiefs will soon wrap up OTAs and focus on the final portion of Phase III of the offseason workout program, which starts next week with mandatory minicamp. The Chiefs had nearly full attendance on Thursday, according to multiple media members who observed practice. On the offensive side of the ball, the team was missing […]
The Kansas City Chiefs will soon wrap up OTAs and focus on the final portion of Phase III of the offseason workout program, which starts next week with mandatory minicamp.
The Chiefs had nearly full attendance on Thursday, according to multiple media members who observed practice. On the offensive side of the ball, the team was missing TEs Travis Kelce and Tre Watson, along with RG Trey Smith and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. The only defensive player missing from practice was LB Drue Tranquill. In good news, second-year OT Ethan Driskell was back at practice for the first time in the three practice sessions open to local media.
While there's not much we can truly glean until the pads come on in training camp, there are some hints of what's to come as the offseason progresses.
Elijah Mitchell is currently ahead of Brashard Smith in the pecking order, but it might not last
I'm told that, when these four players have been in attendance, the RB pecking order for snaps with the first-team offense has been as follows:
- Isiah Pacheco
- Kareem Hunt
- Elijah Mitchell
- Brashard Smith
Smith, a seventh-round draft pick out of SMU, will likely have to earn his keep on special teams as a rookie. That might work out well for him after having a month working under Porter Ellett, who previously served as an assistant RBs coach.
Of course, Ellett took over as the team's assistant special teams coordinator after Andy Hill retired this past week.
He'll also need more plays like the one reporters described from 7-on-7 team drills on Thursday, hauling in a deep pass down the sideline delivered by starting QB Patrick Mahomes. No. 15 put enough air on the ball for Smith to run underneath on a wheel route and haul it in for a monster gain.
On the other hand, Mitchell has made multiple plays during OTAs practices, also receiving targets out of the backfield. Both players fill a similar bucket on the offensive side of the ball, as a bit of a receiving back. If their roles truly are a bit redundant, it could come down to keeping one player or the other in 2025.
A new trial by fire for Chiefs' OL Kingsley Suamataia
One reason the Chiefs are optimistic about Kingsley Suamataia's transition to the guard position is the caliber of player he regularly faces in practice. Chiefs HC Andy Reid confirmed on Thursday that Suamataia often matches up against six-time All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones during practice.
"First of all, he's got experience, and then he looks more comfortable there," Reid said of Suamataia's transition to guard. "He seems to be picking it up pretty well, not that we're going full speed contact, but he has an opportunity to go against Chris (Jones), and that will surely help him for this season."
Jones is the type who won't just get out there and beat Suamataia; he'll talk him through the how and the why he won on an individual rep. It might be precisely the type of tutelage he needs to succeed in the NFL at the guard position.
Are the Chiefs getting a different version of Nazeeh Johnson in 2025?
A considerable frustration in Chiefs Kingdom last season was the lack of depth at the cornerback position after Jaylen Watson suffered an injury. Third-year DB Nazeeh Johnson got some opportunities on defense a year after suffering a season-ending knee injury, but he wasn't as effective as the team may have hoped.
In OTAs, Johnson is back to showing the ability that saw him earn starting time on defense in 2023 before his injury. During practice on Thursday, he recorded what was described as one of the best plays of the day, making an interception when he really shouldn't have been able to do so.
Chiefs team reporter Matt McMullen shared the following about it on X.
"Nazeeh Johnson jumped a route and picked off a pass during 7-on-7 despite wearing paddles on his hands," McMullen wrote.
Throughout the OTAs, Johnson has been among the starting cornerback rotations, along with Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. Free agent CB Kristian Fulton has been a mostly limited participant in practice most weeks to this point.
Could Johnson take a step forward like they'd hoped for a season ago? We won't know the answer until the pads come on at training camp, but what he's shown so far in OTAs can only be viewed as a positive development.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid gives some insight into his coaching strategy during OTAs
Some days, Andy Reid is seen strictly working with the quarterbacks. Other days, he'll spend more time with the offensive line and the tight ends. During practice on Thursday, he spent a bit more time working with the receivers and running backs. While his job is to put everything together on the offensive side of the ball, he still likes to give individual attention where he can, especially coaching up the young players on the team.
"Yeah. I mean, listen, if I can give the guys something, just from experience, I try to do that," Reid said. "If you just go on — these guys are great. They're the best in the world at what they're doing. If you can give them a little nugget, from the great players that I've been around, they want that. And so if I see something, I'll share it with them. Their coaches do a great job with it. But if I see something, I try to tell them."
Reid has over two decades' worth of tips, tricks, and NFL knowledge that he can impart to the players in Kansas City. He still has a zest for coaching, even during the padless OTA practices, which aren't exactly viewed as the most useful outside of getting some cardio and teamwork down. It's one of the reasons why he'll continue to be recognized as one of the greatest coaches of all time, because he finds a way to make the most out of every opportunity he gets to coach his players.
Kansas City Chiefs 2025 Offseason: Important dates, times, and deadlines, including extension period for RG Trey Smith
The Kansas City Chiefs’ offseason will soon ramp up after Organized Team Activities conclude.
