Day 14 is in the books as training camp winds down. There is only one more day left in St. Joseph, Missouri, and it’ll likely be a 10-10-10 practice to close things out. The Chiefs have seen some standout performances over these last few weeks. Here are my thoughts from what I saw during today’s practice.
Juan Thornhill rarely leaves the field
Steve Spagnuolo has a reputation of making rookies earn their starting spots. In fact, only one rookie has ever started day one for a Steve Spagnuolo led defense, LB James Laurinaitis back in 2009. Thornhill has impressed fans and media members at camp so far this year, and it seems like the coaches have been impressed as well.
In today’s practice, Thornhill saw time in the majority of the starting defensive snaps, in addition to playing a large majority of the second-team snaps. The only plays he seemed to sit out during first-team repetitions were the occasional single-high safety sets, where Daniel Sorenson would replace Thornhill as the single-high safety. As far as the second-team repetitions, it seemed like he split time with Jordan Lucas.
When Thornhill is on the field, he really does seem to have a natural instinct of where the ball is going on a given play. In one instance it appeared that he was in the middle of his backpedal and quickly broke upfield to a WR coming open before Mahomes had even thrown the ball. It was as if he could already tell what Mahomes was thinking and where he wanted to go with the football. The receiver was unable to haul in the pass, but Thornhill was going to be there to stop him in his tracks had he caught it.
The fact that Thornhill is earning not only first-team repetitions but also a chunk of second-team repetitions seems to indicate that the coaching staff is giving him as much as they can in order for them to see where he stands with this defense. The preseason game on Saturday against the Steelers will be telling as to where the coaching staff stands with Thornhill.
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Frank Clark’s leadership role
Frank Clark has not seen the practice field much recently in camp. Initially, he was held out due to a sore wrist, and the last two practices he has been out with an illness. That didn’t seem to stop him from working with his teammates, however.
On multiple occasions, Clark was seen talking with other defensive linemen during position drills. He seemed to be giving advice and going over technique. There were even a few drills that Clark participated in with the other starting linemen. He did end up spending some time with the trainers doing individual drills and stretches off to the side, but for a majority of the practice, he was with his teammates and coaches doing whatever work he could while in shorts.
A lot has been said about the lack of defensive leadership the Chiefs possessed in 2018, and clearly, that was a point of emphasis for Brett Veach this offseason. Additions like Frank Clark go a long way in providing energy and some experience for this defense amongst the many young pieces as they have. Clark will be a very interesting addition to keep an eye on this season, not just for his ability as a player on the field, but how he carries himself with the other players.
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Carlos Hyde is not a lock to make the roster
The running back group that Kansas City has put together is a dynamic one. There is a variety of players at the position, each with their own strengths and styles. The Chiefs coaching staff seems to be trying to fit players in with different offensive groups to try and gauge where they fit with the team.
Carlos Hyde, at least in today’s practice, seems to be the odd man out in this group. The only roles that stayed the same throughout today’s practice were Damien Williams, who played exclusively with the first team, and Carlos Hyde who only seemed to see a handful of repetitions with the second team. Both Darrell Williams and Darwin Thompson saw extended time today getting repetitions with the ones and two’s respectively.
Prior to the first preseason game, last Saturday against the Bengals, Darrell Williams, and Darwin Thompson seemed to be relegated to the third-string offense during practice. The elevation to the first and second string for these two players is a good sign for them, but it could be a bad sign for Hyde. Even though Hyde is still getting opportunities with the second team, it seems that the coaching staff is more interested in seeing what they have in the younger players for the time being.
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Receivers take advantage of Sammy Watkins’ absence
Everyone knows who sits at the top of the WR depth chart, and no one expects that to change. The difficult decision for Reid and Veach this preseason will be the bottom two or three spots. As we near the end of camp, the picture is starting to take shape.
With Sammy Watkins sitting out practice today with an illness, some of the other receivers on the roster were able to take advantage of his vacated snaps. The coaching staff showed their cards with Marcus Kemp taking the majority of those snaps, gaining an opportunity with the first and second-string offense. Kemp looked impressive in practice, hauling in a couple of tough catches, one of which was a diving catch in the middle of the field through some heavy traffic. Combine that with his special teams talent and it appears he may be a lock for this team.
On the bottom end of the roster, WR Rashard Davis had an active day. Playing mostly with the third-string offense, Davis seemed to be a common target on the day. Not only was he targeted a lot, but he hauled in the majority of the throws that came his way. It’s only one practice, but he made a solid case for why he should be a part of this roster, or at least on the practice squad.
With Hill, Watkins, Hardman, Robinson, and now Kemp most likely being the top five receivers on this roster, Davis would be fighting for one of maybe two remaining spots against some other promising talent. This could be the most interesting position group to watch come cut down day. With the talent Kansas City has at receiver, they could even get involved with some trades before the preseason is done.
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