Kansas City Chiefs Day 11 Training Camp Takeaways: Mansoor Delane takes a step forward, Bieniemy returns, Cyrus Allen has ‘it’
The Kansas City Chiefs completed their first practice of the week ahead of preseason Week 1 vs. the Los Angeles Rams. Eric Bieniemy rejoined the team. Mansoor Delane took a step forward in his shoulder rehab, and Cyrus Allen has the ‘it’ factor.
After an off day on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs held training camp practice at Missouri Western State University on Monday. It’ll be the first of four consecutive practice sessions prior to preseason Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday, Aug. 15.
The Chiefs had several players return to practice on Monday, with WR Xavier Worthy (shoulder), DE Ashton Gillotte (hamstring), and CB Kristian Fulton (hip) participating. It was limited work for all three players, as the team has specific ramp-up plans for those returning from injury. WR Rashee Rice (knee) and WR Cyrus Allen (shin) were both full participants, getting work in 11-on-11 drills.
DT Omarr Norman-Lott (Knee), RG Trey Smith (hip), LB Drue Tranquill (back), and CB L’Jarius Sneed (knee) remained absent from practice. CB Mansoor Delane (shoulder) still wore the yellow non-contact jersey, but he had pads on and participated in 7-on-7 drills. It’s a notable step forward. It feels like he’s getting a lot closer to clearance, perhaps after preseason Week 1.
What else did we learn during Day 11 of training camp practice in St. Joe?
Eric Bieniemy’s return to Kansas City Chiefs training camp is palpable
Kansas City Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy was officially back at practice on Monday. There’s just something about the energy and zest for practice that Coach Bieniemy brings. Arrowhead Pride’s Ron Kopp had perhaps the best snapshot of Bieniemy’s return: “Just heard EB on the far field, something along the lines of ‘get the [expletive] out of the huddle’ before the starting offense had even run their first play on air.”
Coach Bieniemy worked closely with the running backs during 1-on-1 pass protection drills. Bieniemy had pointers for Kenneth Walker after a repetition against Nick Bolton. He made UDFA RB Jaydn Ott repeat his rep after he got mollywhopped by UDFA LB Wesley Bissainthe. He was spotted giving very specific pass-pro pointers to Walker and Brashard Smith.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid spoke about Bieniemy’s return after practice.
“Good to have EB back,” Reid said. “So, he’s back in the fold. I don’t think he missed a step. He was out there getting after it. That’s a positive for the offensive side… I’ve talked to him several times a day. I knew he was coming back if everything worked out the way it had been. The primary thing is that Mia (Bieniemy) is stable and in good hands and that she is doing well. That’s the primary thing, and that’s where we sit with it.”
Chiefs rookie WR Cyrus Allen’s chemistry with Patrick Mahomes grows
As soon as Allen received full clearance, he was back to making plays with Mahomes again. It feels like he has the ‘it’ needed to succeed as a receiver in Kansas City.
There are two things that stand out most to me when watching Allen work. First, he seems to have that feel for finding open space on the field that’s so successful when paired with a quarterback like Mahomes. It was demonstrated in this 7-on-7 drill, where he found open space behind LBs Nick Bolton and Jack Cochrane in the corner of the end zone.
The second thing that stands out to me is that he works back to the football. He’s not always just waiting for the ball to arrive in a specific spot. He’s working to ensure that he makes the reception or draws a penalty flag.
The ball was late on this 1-on-1 repetition (likely an assistant coach throwing), but Allen beats Nohl Williams off the line with ease. Remember, Williams has been the team’s biggest standout at cornerback in camp thus far.
Overall, the hype for Allen feels much more real than any recent training camp hype for a Chiefs receiver. He’s doing all the different things you need to do to stand out and earn a prominent role in the offense.
Jaylon Moore remains at right tackle, Kahlil Benson at right guard
With RG Trey Smith sidelined by a hip injury, the Chiefs have shifted undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson inside. They’ve moved Jaylon Moore to right guard. What has been apparent about the switch is that the speed of the game is a bit much for Benson on the inside.
“Yeah, you know what? I thought he did OK,” Chiefs HC Andy Reid said. “There were a couple of hiccups in there. Things move a little faster when you’re inside there. Everything jumps on you quickly. When you go against (Defensive Coordinator Steve) Spags (Spagnuolo), you’re going to get a lot of different flavors, and you have to be able to make those decisions, like right now, in an area that’s faster than the tackle position. But I thought he held his own physically for sure, and then there are a couple of things that he’s got to pick up from there.”
Coach Reid elaborated further on Benson’s move to guard after practice on Monday.
“Yeah, I think it’s good for him to be able to have some flex in there, flexibility to do both,” Reid said. “We worked him a little bit in there in OTAs, liked what we saw. So, this gives him real competition in there now, where Spags is throwing a lot of different things at you, so you’ve got to be able to adjust. He’ll do nothing but help him, even at the tackle spot. It’ll help him. So once he jumps back there.”
It’s clear that Kansas City is just seeing what Benson, a player they’re very high on, can provide on the inside.
At the same time, guard depth quietly might be the Chiefs’ biggest need heading into the preseason. The team knows what they have in Mike Caliendo. They haven’t seen quite as much development from Hunter Nourzad and C.J. Hansen as you might expect for third-year professionals. Pete Nygra and Josh Thompson seem to be relegated to second- and third-team units. If another injury were to strike, it’s hard not to wonder how it’d affect the offensive line.
Tyquan Thornton impresses in practice
Thornton has mostly had a strong Chiefs training camp. With guys like Rashee Rice and Cyrus Allen returning, it felt like he was able to take things to the next level.
Twice during 7-on-7 drills, Mahomes connected with Thornton for some impressive plays. First, Thornton split defenders up the seam for a breakaway touchdown. Second, Thornton burned Nohl Williams in 1-on-1 coverage down the left sideline for a would-be touchdown.
Thornton seems poised to take advantage when he’s not the top wide receiver option on the field. He should benefit from coverage matchups during the regular season. If he and Mahomes can continue to connect on the deep ball? Watch out.
