ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is returning to an old tradition this training camp, bringing his rookies and quarterbacks in early for extra work — a practice he had quietly abandoned in recent years.
For much of the past decade, the Chiefs had been a seasoned, playoff-tested squad, and Reid felt the veteran-heavy roster didn’t need the additional preparation time. The team had reached at least the wild-card round every year for ten seasons, with many of those campaigns extending into February.
That all changed last season. Kansas City stumbled to a 6-11 record — one of the worst in the league — while quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a serious knee injury that ended his season. Depth issues on both offense and defense were exposed when other players got hurt, and the Chiefs found themselves watching the playoffs from home far sooner than anyone expected.
With the organization looking to turn the page, Reid brought his quarterbacks, rookies, and some players returning from injuries back to Missouri Western State University for three days of early work ahead of the full team’s arrival. Temperatures during the sessions pushed heat indexes well above 100 degrees on Sunday.
“I didn’t like not doing it last year after I got done with it, to be honest with you,” Reid said of the early camp sessions. “It’s a good thing for the quarterbacks, good thing for the rookies coming in. We do have more numbers this year, so it allows us to get more reps.”
“I think,” Reid added, “that will benefit us.”
Mahomes was cleared earlier this week to fully participate in training camp after undergoing surgery in December to repair torn knee ligaments. While Reid said the two-time MVP would face no restrictions, the early, lower-intensity sessions offer a chance for Mahomes to ease back into game-speed work without a full team around him.
“You just have to build that confidence back,” Mahomes said, “and I’m glad I get to do that from Day 1 of training camp. I didn’t want to have to get only a couple of weeks of practice in and then have to go play a game. I wanted to build it up, see how training camp goes as we gradually build, and so I think that’ll help me get back to where I need to be.”
Behind Mahomes on the depth chart, the Chiefs acquired veteran quarterback Justin Fields in a trade with the Jets. Fields is expected to serve as a capable backup who could step in and win games if Mahomes isn’t ready for Week 1. Also competing for a roster spot is Garrett Nussmeier, a highly regarded college quarterback from LSU who slid all the way to pick No. 249 in last April’s NFL draft.
Beyond the quarterback room, the early camp is an opportunity for a rookie class of more than two dozen players — perhaps the largest group Reid has leaned on at any point in his tenure — to get a head start on learning the system.
Cornerback Mansoor Delane, the first defensive back taken in the draft, is projected to start in Week 1. Defensive tackle Peter Woods, Kansas City’s other first-round selection, could line up alongside perennial Pro Bowl player Chris Jones. Pass rusher R Mason Thomas is also expected to contribute pressure off the edge.
For all of them, every extra rep before the veterans show up carries real value.
“I’m super grateful for the three days,” Woods said. “I told someone earlier that the veterans, they have a standard for what they want to see from us young guys. Just coming in and being able to have some days to prepare myself to be able to mesh well with the veterans, that means a lot to me. Not everyone gets a chance to do that.”
In Kansas City, that chance had been off the table for several years — until now.
