The Kansas City Chiefs have completed their first week of training camp, which consisted of four practices held in St. Joseph, Missouri, at Missouri Western State University. 

The team will reconvene at the practice fields on Sunday, July 27, for their first padded practice of the season. Before we get to that, Nick Roesch and Charles Goldman will be answering Chiefs Kingdom's burning training camp questions in a mailbag. Nick has been attending practice all week to stay up-to-date on the latest developments at camp. 

This week, we'll cover questions on the biggest surprise of training camp thus far, Tyquan Thornton's role, Josh Simmons on a snap-by-snap basis, Jalen Royals' chances of filling in for Rashee Rice, and much more. 

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Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp Mailbag – Week of July 25th, 2025

Biggest surprise of camp so far? – ZachLaymansNFL

Roesch: When a team is returning so many veterans like the Chiefs are, there aren't a ton of surprises. A couple of mild ones come to mind, though, starting with the amount of reps rookie Omarr Norman-Lott has gotten as the starting defensive tackle next to Chris Jones. Mike Pennel will certainly be in the mix, but Norman-Lott could end up being the main guy there. 

The next is Mike Caliendo, who has been playing some center with the second-team offense. He was expected to battle Kingsley Suamataia for the starting left guard job, but Suamataia has gotten all the first-team reps. Caliendo's ability to play center will help him stay on the roster as a backup.

Goldman: I think Nohl Williams is the biggest surprise for me. Through OTAs and mandatory minicamp, I didn't expect he'd get many opportunities. With Kristian Fulton on the PUP, I think the staff is a little more open-minded to finding solutions at boundary cornerback. He's had a couple of days now working with the first-team defense, and I'm told he hasn't looked out of his depth. 

The other one I'll mention, which Nick has already touched on, is Kingsley Suamataia. I know he looked the part at left tackle during training camp last year, and that didn't work out. I think Chiefs fans will be pleasantly surprised with Suamataia at left guard in Year 2. 

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Tyquan Thornton at WR has been getting pub. He's most likely to slot in for doing Justin Watson role? He's faded away in other teams/situations… Is that when pads come on (on the horizon)? Or what's been his issue before and likelihood to repeat? – J Henning

Roesch: Thornton's biggest obstacle throughout his first three NFL seasons has been staying healthy. He was a second-round draft pick by the New England Patriots, so the Chiefs are giving him as much opportunity as possible to live up to that billing. His easiest path to making the 53-man roster will be performing well at gunner on special teams. His 4.2 40-yard speed can also be weaponized by coach Andy Reid on offense.

Goldman: Like Nick said, I think special teams will play a pretty big role here. Toub is already identifying different ways to utilize him, and the more he can do, the better. I don't think a Rashee Rice suspension will make much difference in his chances of making the roster. He's more of a backup to players like Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy than he is a big slot receiver. As for what has gone wrong in the past, Pats fans seem to knock him for a lack of physicality once the pads come on. Sunday will be a big day for him. 

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What's the most underrated part about attending training camp from a fan perspective? – ‪SeanDiesAtTheEnd

Roesch: Not a lot of training camps around the NFL allow as many fans as the Chiefs do. It's like a small-scale version of gameday at Arrowhead Stadium. There really isn't a bad view of the action, either. Getting in and out is relatively smooth, and they offer a variety of activities for children. 

Goldman: I think one of the most underrated parts is just the opportunity to bond with other fans and find community. I've attended as a media representative and as a fan. It has been a while since I've gone as a fan, but the people are what I remember most. Just meeting random Chiefs fans and chopping it up because they were wearing a Scott Fujita jersey. 

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How has Josh (Simmons) looked on a snap-by-snap basis? Obviously, everyone’s seen the clips, and they look good, but how’s he looking in team periods? – KingCash

Roesch: When offensive linemen aren't wearing pads, you look at their footwork, handwork, and explosion off the line of scrimmage. Simmons has checked all three of those boxes. We'll find out a lot more when the pads come on starting on Sunday, but you have to be thrilled about where he's at right now.

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Mahomes recently spoke about how he needs to improve his throwing the ball farther to improve his offense in 2025. Is there anything new being done in training camp across the offense in that regard? –ホッケーの歯がない人

Roesch: The deep passing game is definitely a point of emphasis for Mahomes and the offense this season. He has thrown a ton of long balls throughout the first four practices, mainly to Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown. I don't think anything new is being done; they're just letting it rip and making defenses respect that they're going to take shots down the field.

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What are the chances (Jalen) Royals gets early snaps due to Rice being out? – Keith MacLean

Roesch: I would say the chances are very good for Royals to get extra snaps while Rashee Rice is out, particularly in the red zone. Royals has gotten a ton of run with the first-team offense, and it's uncanny how similar his skillset is to Rice's. Royals has seemed to establish a great chemistry with Patrick Mahomes already, having caught multiple touchdown passes throughout camp.

Goldman: It seems like Royals, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Skyy Moore are most frequently getting the opportunities to play the "Rice" role on offense. There's a reason you've heard a lot more about Royals and even Smith-Schuster than Moore to this juncture, which bodes well for the rookies' chances to play an outsized role if Rice is suspended.