The Kansas City Chiefs finished their ninth training camp practice today.
There are some more standout players and moments to discuss from practice over the last two days. Here are a few thoughts I had following the conclusion of today’s practice:
Darrel Williams making a push for the 53
For several practices now, second-year RB Darrel Williams is running with the first team offense. Williams was stashed on the active roster in 2018, making the 53-man roster at the onset of the season. He wasn’t active often early in the season, but eventually became a crucial reserve when Kareem Hunt was released and Spencer Ware was injured.
With the Chiefs currently down a starting RB due to injury, Williams has made some strides, working his way into contention for repetitions with the first team offense alongside Carlos Hyde.
Short of Damien Williams, Darrel might be the best receiver that the Chiefs currently have out of the backfield. On limited touches in 2018, he caught 3-of-3 passes for 27 yards and a touchdown.
That part of his game alone will get him a lot of looks in this offense, and he appears to be thriving so far. If he can continue to make improvements on offense and as a special teams player, it might be hard for the Chiefs to not keep him on the 53-man roster again.
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Ben Niemann earning run with first team defense
One player that was low on the Chiefs first depth chart last season was Ben Niemann. He was running with the fourth string defense, and it didn’t look like he was going to make the 53-man roster at this time last year. In the preseason, Niemann flashed multiple times with some big tackles and an interception returned for a touchdown. Before you knew it he had become a fan favorite and a favorite of the coaching staff.
Neimann made the 53-man roster and during the course of the season he established himself as one of the best special teams players in the league. He also earned some opportunities on the defensive side of the ball, late in the season, when injuries mounted at the position.
Recently, Niemann is seeing a new opportunity with the first team defense. With an injury to starting SLB Damien Wilson, Reggie Ragland has shifted to SLB and Niemann has jumped in as the starting MLB. Even before that, Niemann had rotated in with the starters and on sub packages before.
It’s beginning to look like Niemann will again earn his place on the roster and have an even bigger role on the defense in 2019.
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More triple option? Yes please!
I’ve been an advocate for the Kansas City Chiefs adding in more triple option plays for a while now. They’ve utilized a few concepts in the past with the speed option and so on, but I think there’s more they can do with it. Andy Reid has been such an innovator when bringing college concepts to the NFL and making them work. Even in the passing game, there are ways that the triple option can be effective in tricking a defense.
I was really excited to hear that there was a three stack I formation during today’s 10-10-10 practice. It’s a concept that is utilized in the triple option offense because it is really good at disguising the ball carrier. Defenses immediately have four options to defend, and it causes a lot of quick thinking that can lead to errors.
The intriguing part about the stack for Kansas City was that it had Demarcus Robinson and Blake Bell lined up behind the RB. That alone would have defenses scratching their head about what they’re going to see when the ball is snapped. The Chiefs can put a ton of unique personnel groupings together that can really do some damage with these types of concepts. Between the speed and misdirection that they already use, I am salivating to see the types of plays that Reid and company will come up with using the triple option.
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Dustin Colquitt is safe
Bringing in a rookie to compete with the longest-tenured player on the Kansas City Chiefs roster did get some notice early on. Punter Dustin Colquitt is an important player to the team and he has a chance to do something special this year, becoming the player to appear in the most games all-time for the team. Some were worried that perhaps signing a UDFA punter, there were signs that father time was catching up with Colquitt.
Fans will be happy to learn that it seems like Colquitt is safe for the time being. Former Rice punter Jack Fox is still very raw. And when you compare his work in training camp to that of of Colquitt, there has been a very noticeable difference. Even though Fox is significantly less expensive, I’m not sure he’s ready to play in the NFL just yet.
Things could obviously change during the course of the preseason, but I think it’s safe to consider this training camp battle over already.
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