The Kansas City Chiefs finished their seventh training camp practice today.
Several things stand out from camp so far. Here are a few thoughts I had following the conclusion of today’s practice:
Defensive line depth is something to get excited about
The defensive line depth this year is actually looking pretty scary.
Guys like Frank Clark, Alex Okafor, Emmanuel Ogbah, Chris Jones, Breeland Speaks and Tanoh Kpassagnon have consistently flashed in team periods, with each of them notching what would have been multiple sacks (had contact been allowed with quarterbacks). Today alone there were multiple sacks from the newcomers: Okafor, Ogbah and Clark.
Along the interior you have a diverse group of players rotating in during different packages, from stout run defenders like Derrick Nnadi and Khalen Saunders, to penetrating 3-techniques like Jones and Kpassagnon. There doesn’t seem to be much drop-off playing the run compared to the “NASCAR” package, stunts and just regular old pass-rush packages.
Typically, this isn’t something you’d expect from a group that had a lot of turnover this past offseason. Instead, they’re consistently appearing as one of the strongest groups the Chiefs have on the roster.
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Juan Thornhill standing out in a big way
After being hyped up by a lot of members of the national media, Thornhill is making a push for more playing time.
He’s been getting his hands on the ball a lot lately in terms of interceptions and passes defended. Today, he notched another interception during practice, according to Chiefs team reporter BJ Kissel. In fact, by my count no player has notched more interceptions on the defensive side of the ball at training camp for the Chiefs than Thornhill. Tyrann Mathieu is trailing closely behind, though.
Thornhill has done so well that they’re now rotating him in with the first team on certain looks. If there are three safeties on the field, you can bet that he’s patrolling the deep half of the field.
While many expect Thornhill to unseat veteran safety Daniel Sorensen, he hasn’t done so yet. However, with the way things are going, he could very well win the starting job by the beginning of the season.
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The battle for No. 2 slot corner
Steve Spagnuolo mentioned to the media earlier this week that he’s still looking for depth in the slot behind starter Kendall Fuller. That battle appears to be between two rookie players right now.
The typical No. 2 slot corner has been fifth-round draft pick Rashad Fenton. He joined the Chiefs out of the University of South Carolina and was a player praised for his coverage diversity. Fenton didn’t practice with the Chiefs today due to an undisclosed absence. It’s not clear if he’s injured or was excused from practice, but that’s something to monitor.
According to Arrowhead Pride’s Craig Stout, the player replacing Fenton today was undrafted free agent defensive back Dakari Monroe out of San Jose State. He seems to be the one getting the first look with Fenton absent, but it’s not clear if he’ll be able to retain that role.
Both players have seen their fair share of struggles in training camp, which is to be expected of rookie players. It just doesn’t inspire a whole lot of confidence in the depth of that unit, when you see those struggles.
The Chiefs could ultimately look to roster cuts to find a backup slot corner if neither of these players can step up come preseason play.
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Great barbecue debate of the media tent
Not everything at training camp has to be football.
Even with training camp practice raging on, the folks in the media tent in St. Joseph had a friendly debate during practice, and it wasn’t about football. This debate centered on two famed Kansas City barbecue restaurants and which is better. St. Joseph News-Press reporter Brandon Zenner pointed out the conversation happening in the media tent on Twitter.
Later, Zenner posted a video of Patrick Mahomes throwing said pass to Demarcus Robinson, but what he also captured was some opening arguments of the great barbecue debate.
Any barbecue argument that starts with the sauce as the main argument is a worthy one. I’m hoping whichever journalist made this argument was partial to Gates Original BBQ sauce.
So what do you think, Chiefs Kingdom? Does Gates BBQ or Jack Stack reign supreme? Is there another barbecue joint that deserves to be in contention? If you’ve followed us here at Chiefs Wire for a while you’ve probably seen some of our takes on Kansas City barbecue. Be sure to share yours with us on Facebook and Twitter.
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