The Kansas City Chiefs wrapped Day 10 of training camp practice at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri, on Saturday.

It was a chippy practice with a few skirmishes between the offense and defense after six consecutive practice sessions. The competition level is at an all-time high, and the team is doing everything it can to continue improving ahead of the 2026 NFL season.

Speaking to reporters after practice, Chiefs star QB Patrick Mahomes was asked about first- and second-year players who have stood out to him through the earliest portion of training camp. Mahomes strayed outside the purview of the question, mentioning a second-year cornerback, a first-year wide receiver, and a third-year offensive lineman.

Kansas City Chiefs’ second-year CB Nohl Williams was first on Patrick Mahomes’ mind

Nohl Williams was a standout at cornerback during his rookie season, though he did not see much playing time for Kansas City. When he was on the field, he was quite clearly one of the best rookie corners in the NFL in 2025.

This year, he has taken things up a notch and established himself as the top cornerback on the defense. Of course, No. 6 overall pick Mansoor Delane is sidelined by injury, and CB L’Jarius Sneed is in a maintenance ramp-up period with his ongoing knee issues.

“Yeah, I mean it’s been a lot of guys,” Mahomes began. “I mean, I think Nohl Williams is kind of the first one in my mind. I knew how talented he is, but you can tell when the guy starts to get it, like starts to figure out formations, figure out motions, and know where to put himself at to make it easier on himself. So he’s someone that’s kind of been big.”

It’s clear that Williams is more familiar with Steve Spagnuolo’s playbook. He also understands the type of things that can set him up for success on the Chiefs’ defense in 2026. Praise from Mahomes shouldn’t go to his head, but it will only continue to encourage the iron-sharpens-iron mentality. Those two have had a few battles in the first 10 training camp practice sessions.

Cyrus Allen gets his flowers from No. 15

On the offensive side of the ball, Mahomes had high praise for two players in particular.
First is the darling of 2026 training camp, rookie wide receiver Cyrus Allen. Mahomes said Allen was having a strong training camp before his shin injury.

“I mean, obviously Cyrus (Allen) had a great start to camp, and so getting him back out there will be important,” Mahomes said.

Allen has been a participant in the past two training camp practice sessions. However, he has been fairly limited in his work as the team ramps him back up from the shin bruise. Expect Allen to be a full participant next week, leading into Week 1 of the preseason against the Rams.

What has been quite apparent to start camp is that Mahomes and Allen have legitimate on-field chemistry. The shin injury is only a minor setback, but they’ll need continued work ahead to further establish timing routes.

Kingsley Suamataia establishing himself in Year 3?

“And then I know he’s not a first-, second-year guy,” Mahomes said. “I think Kingsley (Suamataia) has had a great camp so far.”

While he was not a first-year player, Mahomes also shouted out offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia. Suamataia is a noteworthy mention, given this is his second season playing left guard. The praise also comes after a practice where he got into it with former first-round draft pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah. Suamataia was seen throwing punches at FAU, and it’s hard not to wonder if the praise might be directly related.

Consider the context of the play leading up to the skirmish. Mahomes was engulfed by defensive pressure and didn’t have much space to work with. You have to wonder if Suamataia was frustrated and defending his quarterback, who is obviously recovering from a knee injury.

At the end of the day, Mahomes says that competition is the big thing standing out amongst all of these players, specifically the young guys competing for chances to contribute on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

“So, you want guys like that just to keep improving, keep getting better,” Mahomes concluded. “And we have a lot of young guys out there, and they’re competing, and that’s all you can ask for.”

The Kansas City Chiefs still have plenty of training camp left before the 2026 regular season kicks off. With competition this fierce through just 10 practices, the battle for roster spots in Kansas City should only intensify from here.