Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid sets the record straight on rookie CB Mansoor Delane’s early training camp struggles
Kansas City Chiefs CB Mansoor Delane is participating in practice despite dealing with a shoulder injury. Andy Reid explained to reporters on Friday that the No. 6 overall pick is practicing with one arm tied behind his back.
The Kansas City Chiefs completed Day 3 of training camp practice with practically the full roster participating on Friday, July 31st. Omarr Norman-Lott remains on the Active/PUP list. Rashee Rice and L’Jarius Sneed remain in a veteran ramp-up period.
One other injury-related situation that has been noticeable since the rookies reported for their three-day head start at training camp is that cornerback Mansoor Delane remains in a yellow non-contact jersey during practices. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft did not participate in mandatory minicamp practices due to a shoulder injury, one likely sustained during OTAs.
Despite still dealing with the shoulder issue, Delane has participated in all of the team’s training camp practices. However, the former shutdown college cornerback has seen some noticeable struggles in coverage. It has all left fans concerned about the early returns on Kansas City’s top draft pick.
Andy Reid explains the reality of Delane’s situation
There are big expectations for Delane after the team traded up to select him at No. 6 overall. However, Delane is currently hamstrung by his injury within the team’s scheme. Chiefs coach Andy Reid confirmed this much when speaking to the media on Friday.
“Yeah, so he’s another one that is on the injury report but can work, and he’s a tough kid,” Reid said of Delane. “You remember he was a state wrestling champ, all that stuff, man. He’s a tough kid, so he wants to be out there. He wants to do everything. We’re not allowing him to use that arm, and so he’s out there playing kind of one-handed. But until he’s just completely cleared there, we’re keeping an eye on him. When we get into the contact stuff, you know, we’ll back off a little bit on him there. But he’s working his tail off and doing what he can do with that.”
Delane has essentially been working with one arm, and for an outside cornerback in Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme, that creates significant problems. Those press-man coverage repetitions require getting hands on receivers at the line of scrimmage. With the shoulder injury, Delane can’t engage the way he normally would. That is problematic for a cornerback whose biggest skill has been his physicality and his ability to stick with receivers through a route, jabbing them at the line of scrimmage and then competing physically at the catch point.
At the same time, Reid says this will help Delane refine other skills needed to succeed in the NFL.
“It’s great for him because he’s got to work his feet and his techniques and his level,” Reid said. “How high, you know, are you rising up as guys are making moves on you? You’re pedaling. What are you doing there? So, it actually works to his benefit in the long run.”
Good news on the horizon for the Kansas City Chiefs’ top draft pick
The good news is that Reid anticipates Delane will take off the yellow non-contact jersey. It’s just a matter of time and making sure he is ready for that step. The Chiefs are taking a cautious approach, trying to put Delane in the best possible position to avoid missing time at training camp while also getting healthy enough to contribute fully.
“Yeah, it’s going to come off,” Reid said. “It’s just we’ll see where it all goes here. When it’s time, we just have to make sure that everything’s healed up and good to go.”
Reid’s comments suggest the injury is not considered long-term, but there is no official timetable for when Delane will transition to full-contact work. His earlier comments suggest he won’t participate in team drills once padded practice sessions begin.
For now, Chiefs fans in attendance at training camp are only getting a small taste of what Delane is capable of. Once the non-contact jersey comes off and Delane can deploy his full skill set in Spagnuolo’s scheme, the early training camp concerns should fade quickly.