By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
Matt Nagy is once again the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator after a head coaching stint with the Chicago Bears.
He came back to the Chiefs last year as quarterbacks coach and was elevated to offensive coordinator with the departure of Eric Bieniemy in the offseason.
As one might expect, Nagy is pretty encouraged by what he’s seen from this high-powered offense so far in training camp in St. Joseph.
"The players have been phenomenal," he said. "Just the mental side of it. Getting into the scheme stuff. Coach (Andy) Reid likes to keep things fresh. Then, you come here. It's an amazing setup here. The fans are great, the people are great. The players come in with a great mindset."
The Chiefs worked for about two hours in helmets and shorts on Wednesday at Missouri Western. It was certainly a warm workout, as temperatures were already in the mid 80s just after 9 a.m.
Linebacker Nick Bolton was absent Wednesday due to illness. Receiver John Ross had an excused absence, while linebacker Isiah Moore was held out due to a knee injury.
Receiver Kadarius Toney (knee surgery) and defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton (PUP list) are still out, while defensive tackle Chris Jones has yet to report.
Defensive standouts
Cornerback Nazeeh Johnson has been playing steadily with the first-team defense to start camp, and had strong reps again Wednesday.
Johnson was a seventh-round draft pick out of Marshall last year, and he's worked with the ones, while Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson have spent time with the second-team defense. Williams has rotated in with the first-team as well.
In Nick Bolton's absence, Drue Tranquill was the first-team middle linebacker Wednesday. Tranquill is a fifth-year pro who signed with the Chiefs this past March. He was with the Chargers from 2019-2022.
Receivers impressing
Much like last year, the Chiefs have an arsenal of young and talented wide receivers to pick from. Juju Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman left in the offseason, but guys like Richie James, rookie Rashee Rice and Justyn Ross have taken over nicely.
Matt Nagy was asked specifically about James.
"Some of these wideouts, you know when they have a feel," Nagy said. "They know the timing with the quarterback. They understand the defense. They know when to speed up or slow down their route. They know how to play in zone. (James) has got that. You also have to have that confidence, and I'm excited to see what he does this preseason."
He also had high praise for Rice.
"He came in phenomenal shape here," Nagy said of Rice. "Every day, he has made incremental improvements. It's exciting for us, because the sky is the roof for his talent."
Tight end Noah Gray and receiver Cornell Powell caught practically everything thrown their way Wednesday. Nagy also had praise for tight end Matt Bushman, who had a solid OTAs.
James, joining the Chiefs this year after three years in San Francisco and one year with the Giants, is encouraged by the depth at his position.
"We have a lot of good players inside and out," James said. "We have a lot of moving pieces. People can move inside, outside. I think we're talented, to be honest. I think we're a really solid group."
Full pads coming
The Chiefs have been in helmets, jerseys and shorts for the first four training camp practices. The teams gets a day off Thursday and they’ll be back on the field in full pads Friday.
Starting center Creed Humphrey says he looks forward to putting the pads on.
"It builds mental toughness," he said. "It's something you fight through on those days you don't want to go, but it makes you a better player for it. I think everyone is excited to get the pads on. It's a lot more fun playing football with pads for sure. So, I think everyone is really excited for Friday."
Defensive linemen putting in work
In Chris Jones' absence, guys like George Karlaftis, Derrick Nnadi, and newcomers Charles Omenihu and Daniel Wise have gotten reps with the first-team defense.
Karlaftis says that group is working hard
"When you have a guy like (Jones) who's not here right now, you have to fill that void as a collective, so that's kind of what we're doing."
Karlaftis, now a second-year pro, says he feels a lot better this year compared to last.
"I feel a whole lot better both physically and mentally being out here on year two," he said. "I'm super excited to hit the ground running with these guys."
Known as the 'Greek freak,' Karlaftis had seven total sacks last year as a rookie. Six-and-a-half of those sacks came after Week 10. He also logged seven pass deflections and two fumble recoveries.
The Chiefs are off Thursday and are back to work on Friday morning at 9:15.
Video recap
Moments caught on tape
You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.