By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
The Chiefs wrapped up their second full day of training camp Thursday on a cool and cloudy morning that saw rain showers come to an end as soon as players came on the field.
Everyone got work done in half pads, except corner Rashad Fenton, offensive tackle Lucas Niang and tackle Prince Tega Wanogho, who have been on the injured list since camp.
Orlando Brown, Jr. was the only player not present. Roderick Johnson, who just signed with the Chiefs' on a reserve/future in February, has been getting first-team reps at left tackle in Brown Jr.'s place.
One player who was on the injured list Tuesday, but got off Wednesday is running back Clye Edwards-Helaire, who says he’s felt fine all week.
He even told Andy Reid Wednesday he would practice.
"I was like, 'I'm practicing,'" Edwards-Helaire said. "He was like, 'I know you're practicing.' And then it was like, 'Alright, okay high five' and out the door. That's all it was."
As Thursday’s practice was wrapping up, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Chiefs signed veteran defensive end Carlos Dunlap to a one-year, eight-million dollar deal.
The team confirmed the signing later Thursday afternoon. Defensive tackle Chris Jones says he had the chance to get to know Dunlap this offseason.
"He's a high character guys," Jones said of Dunlap. "I trained with him this offseason in Miami. If we're able to add him and the report is true, I accept Carlos with open arms. I think he's a veteran guy who's had a lot of experience in this league. To have a veteran guy like that in this position group I think would be remarkable."
Dunlap played over 10 seasons in Cincinnati and was signed by Seattle halfway through 2020. He played in all 17 games for the Seahawks last year, recording 8.5 sacks and defending seven passes. The Chiefs are looking for depth at defensive end after Melvin Ingram signed a deal with the Dolphins in the offseason.
The Chiefs also drafted defensive end George Karlaftis in the first round this year at the No. 30 pick overall.
Karlaftis, who's been getting reps with the first-team defense and has been seen talking with Frank Clark after practice, has impressed defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo so far. Keeping in mind, the pads haven't gone on yet.
"Every young guy who comes in, even though they may have dominated at the college level, there is a little bit of a learning curve," Spagnuolo said. "We're going to live with some ups and downs with the young guys...but I'm fired up to see what (George) does."
In the secondary, the Chiefs seek new leadership in their defensive backfield with the departure of Tyrann Mathieu. So far, the young stars have shown out there. First-year Chief and safety Justin Reid has impressed early, but safety and fourth-year pro Juan Thornhill is taking on that leadership role, Spagnuolo says.
"From a communications standpoint and running the show, he's kind of taken that upon himself, which is Juan should be doing in his fourth year. As Justin gets more comfortable with the system, I would expect him to do the same thing."
Rookie safety Bryan Cook out of Cincinnati got reps with the first team defense Thursday after Justin Reid missed a few series. Reid is healthy and will be back on the field. Another rookie, corner Joshua Williams from Fayetteville State, has also caught people’s attention early in camp.
The Chiefs practice again on Friday morning at 9:15, with the Red Rally getting underway in St. Joseph's Civic Center Park on Friday afternoon.
Juju at it again
With no Tyreek Hill, it's hard to know who Patrick Mahomes' top target this coming season will be, but Juju Smith-Schuster is making a strong case.
He was making more eye-popping catches, especially during the 11-on-11 session. Marquez Valdes-Scantling also had some nice grabs during 7-on-7s.
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