By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
The Kansas City Chiefs took to the Mosaic Training Fields at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph Monday on a cool and cloudy morning.
The Chiefs, who had Sunday off, worked for about two hours in full pads in what was the 13th practice of training camp. It was a pleasant 68 degrees to start the workout, and there was a healthy crowd on hand.
Tight end and receiver autograph sessions following practice may have had something to do with the strong attendance.
Head coach Andy Reid is pleased with how the team is progressing with the first preseason game coming up this Sunday.
"I like the way they're challenging themselves," Reid said of the players. "That's a part you never know, coming in, how it's going to be. You see it and hear it. They're getting after each other and doing it the right way. It's competitive out here and that's a good thing."
Corner L’Jarius Sneed (knee), receiver Kadarius Toney (knee) and tight end Jody Forston (shoulder) are still sidelined. Reid notes that Sneed is "progressing," but it still dealing with swelling in his knee.
Receiver Cornell Powell didn’t practice Monday, but he wasn't included in the injury report.
Defensive end Mike Danna was back to work after missing time with a calf injury. As for Chris Jones, Coach Reid said he doesn’t know when he’ll report.
"I don't know when he'll be here, but any work he can get will help him. It's a pretty fast game."
Observations
Skyy Moore had himself a strong day Monday with several great catches, including this one.
Defensive tackle Turk Wharton got his first real work on the field Monday, lining up with the first-team defense during 9-on-7 and also getting limited reps during 11-on-11.
Wharton was just activated from the PUP list this past Wednesday.
Tight end Matt Bushman has been getting an increased number of reps with the first-team offense and consistently making the most of it. He had several more grabs on Monday.
Trent McDuffie had a highlight moment for the defense when he picked off a pass intended for Moore during one-on-one drills.
Pacheco itchin' to go full speed
Running back Isiah Pacheco has become a fan favorite after an electric rookie season in 2022. He since had offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum and a broken hand.
Pacheco has been at training camp every day working, but doing so in a yellow, no-contact jersey. He’s able to partake in 9-on-7 and 7-on-7 drills, but not yet the full-team, full-contact periods.
Pacheco says he’s ready for full contact when given the go-ahead.
"Whenever they allow me to go, I'm ready to go," he said. "I'm just going to keep working and finding those ways to get better. Finding the little things to get better at. I have high standards, and I'm unsatisfied."
Andy Reid has been pleased with what he’s seen from Pacheco this camp.
"Telling (Pacheco) to go slow is a hard thing," Reid said. "He's got to have patience and he doesn't have a lot of it. He's doing great. We'll just have to see, as it goes on here, with the contact part here. But, he's getting good work in without that."
Pacheco rushed for 1,027 yards and six touchdowns last season.
Dave Toub's training camp
Special teams drills may not always be the most thought of or talked about part of training camp, but Chiefs' special teams' coach Dave Toub expects the very best out of his unit.
Punter Tommy Townsend, entering his fourth season in Kansas City, says Toub demands perfection from the specialists and that makes the season a bit easier.
"That's one thing (Toub) takes pride in is making practice harder than the game," Townsend said. "I think he does a really good job of that. I do get a little nervous out here, especially the first few practices back. It's really nervy and getting everything going and just the speed of it and how he has our practices set up. It really gets you prepped and ready for the season."
Townsend dealt with a sprained ankle during camp last week and was limited for a day or two, but he has been back on the field working. Townsend described the ankle as "day-to-day" and says things are "progressing nicely" in the training room.
Coming off of a first-team All-Pro season in 2022, Townsend says this camp is all about building on the things he does well.
"Just trying to hold onto the ball as long as I can and really pull my leg straight through," Townsend said. "Trying to work on a bunch of different kicks. Trying to be a wizard with the football. Trying to be Harry Potter with the football."
Townsend finished the 2022 season with 53 punts for 2,672 net yards for a 50.42 average.
Numbers like that? You're a wizard, Tommy.
Last year's rookies, this year's veterans
The Chiefs entered the preseason in 2022 with a lot of young, capable rookies eager to prove themselves.
Not only that, but there were a lot of new players on the scene in general. Like Justin Reid, Marques Valdez-Scantling and so on.
Corner Trent McDuffie was one of the 10 new rookies last year. Now getting ready for this season, McDuffie says there’s a lot more familiarity compared to this time a year ago.
"Coming into training camp, it's felt like nothing has gone missing," McDuffie said. "Everybody has been building and building. I feel like last year we were on a different level. We were a little bit farther down, still trying to learn and work it out. This year, everyone has come in confident and excited and ready to play."
Kansas City plays its first preseason game this Sunday at New Orleans. Kickoff is set for noon. The game will be broadcast on both Q Country 92.7 FM and KFEQ Radio (680, 95.3) in St. Joseph with pregame coverage starting at 11 a.m.
What's next
The Chiefs are back to work on Tuesday morning at 9:15. After Tuesday, there are just five training camp practices remaining.
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