The Kansas City Chiefs finished their sixth training camp practice today.
Some things are beginning to become more apparent as training camp continues for the Chiefs. Here are a few thoughts that I had following the conclusion of today’s practice:
Pass protection could determine which RBs make the team
Pass protection might make for the determining factor in how the 53-man roster shakes out for the running backs. We know that Damien Williams is solid there, but beyond Williams there’s a lot of question marks. Carlos Hyde and Anthony Sherman probably have the most experience, but others have been working to improve the pass protection this offseason.
There were two notable moments in pass protection from the RBs during practice today. According to the voice of the Chiefs, Mitch Holthus, Darwin Thompson is getting in pass protection work with Chiefs veteran FB Anthony Sherman. It’s good to see that Thompson is seeking out help from a veteran in an area that very well could determine whether he makes the roster. Sherman is a guy who does a lot of dirty work in the trenches as a fullback. Not only does he have the technique down, but he has the mindset down and he can help the rookie with that.
Recent RB convert Tremon Smith is still a work in progress when it comes to pass protection. Chiefs Digest’s Matt Derrick noted that during 1-on-1 drills Ben Niemann beat Smith pretty badly. This was an area of concern of mine, when the Chiefs first announced the switch for Smith. His slight size seems to pose a problem, but I also wonder if he has the requisite physicality to pick up a free rusher. He might want to go talk to Sherman and pick his brain on a few things too.
It’s only Smith’s second day working as a RB, but this is something to monitor as the preseason approaches.
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Replacing Demetrius Harris on special teams is important
This was something I hadn’t really given much thought to before today, but former Chiefs TE Demetrius Harris was a really valuable player for the Chiefs on special teams. Now that they don’t have him, replacing him is going to become paramount for the special teams units. There were two replacements that came to mind for Dave Toub when he spoke to the media today. Those players were TE Blake Bell and TE/H-back John Lovett.
“Right now, Blake Bell is playing all of (Demtrius Harris’) positions,” Toub said. “The plan is to have him be that guy. We got a lot out of Demetrius last year. He played three phases for us and I think he had the most special teams plays for a tight end in the whole league. He was setting the bar really high, so we’re not going to necessarily ask (Blake Bell) to be that guy, but he’s going to be playing a lot of those same positions.”
Toub added that Bell might only be playing two phases for the Chiefs as opposed to Harris’ three phases. This is pretty significant coming from Toub and if Bell can replace that production lost in Harris’ departure, it could solidify a roster spot. That might mean trouble for a player like Deon Yelder, who has been vying for the No. 2 job behind Travis Kelce. The more you can do, the better chances you have to stick.
As for Lovett, Toub noted him as a standout on both special teams and on offense.
“The first guy that comes to my mind is (John) Lovett,” Toub said. “He’s a guy that’s doing well on offense, just catching the ball. He’s learning stuff, he’s obviously a smart guy, he went to Princeton. He doesn’t make mistakes mentally and I think he’s got the speed and we’re going to find out about the toughness when the preseason games come up. We’ll see if he can tackle, because that’s going to be the biggest question. But he’s a guy that works.”
So, Lovett is still a work in progress and the preseason will determine if he become more than a training camp standout for the Chiefs. It’ll be important to monitor how he tackles on special teams as soon as the Chiefs kick off the preseason on August 10.
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The curious case of too many offensive linemen
The Chiefs have a weird problem along the offensive line where they’re probably going to have to make some tough choices. There are going to be some guys that get cut that will probably end up making it with other teams. Right now, they seem to have too many offensive lineman and they’re trying to figure out the best spot for a lot of the interior guys.
During Friday’s practice Nick Allegretti was spotted by Arrowhead Pride contributor Craig Stout working with the second team at center, while Kahlil McKenzie jumped from third team center to second team right guard. Previously Allegretti had worked at second team left guard and Jimmy Murray had worked as the second team center.
Having guys who can play a lot of different spots helps on Sunday’s because you can only suit up 46 guys. I have a feeling a lot of the linemen that can play 2-3 spots will make a strong push to make the team. Right now, the Chiefs seem to be working a rotation to see which guys can handle all the different responsibilities.
We’ve already seen the value that a player like Cameron Erving and Andrew Wylie have in Kansas City. Now there’s a new group vying for a fairly limited amount of roster spots. The Chiefs typically carry 8-9 offensive linemen. That means only three or four players will make it beyond the starting five. We already know Cameron Erving has a spot, so who will earn the final three? Murray, Allegretti and McKenzie? Will there be a surprise player that can play both tackle and guard? We’ll see how this shakes out over the course of the preseason.
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Don’t sleep on Breeland Speaks
Today Chiefs team reporter BJ Kissel noted that second-year defensive lineman Breeland Speaks had some nice repetitions. Earlier in training camp our own contributors, Nick and Wesley Roesch noted that Speaks had a few flashes during team drills. He even had a few moments where he would’ve notched sacks against the first team and Patrick Mahomes.
I think a lot of folks are down on Speaks for a few reasons. First his 2018 season was a disappointment, but he was admittedly playing out of position at outside linebacker. This year he’s playing two different spots, defensive end and defensive tackle, where he appears to be a bit more of a natural.
Another thing people don’t like is the guy showed up for the offseason program looking out of shape. As it turns out, it wasn’t a big deal and lots of guys don’t show up to the offseason program in perfect shape. A lot of the time is spent getting your body prepared for the upcoming season. It’d be a big concern if he wasn’t able to make weight or pass his conditioning test, but sure enough he was able to do both of those things.
Not everyone can be and needs to be made of pure muscle on the defensive line. Look at Vince Wilfork for instance, the guy was just naturally a big dude and carried a lot of weight in his stomach. It didn’t stop him from making plays, going to multiple Pro Bowls and becoming a Super Bowl champion.
Speaks might not be pushing for starting playing time right now, but at the very least he looks to be valuable rotational depth on a deep unit. That’ll be important when you’re trying to win in January and February.
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