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KC Chiefs Training Camp Report: WR’s Looking Good, Phillip Gaines, Alex Smith

By Josh Michaels

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The KC Chiefs wrapped up day five of training camp (Monday, July 28th) and had a lot of good work to report about.

Starting with a quick injury report, rookie cornerback Phillip Gaines suffered a blow to the head and was carted off the field. Reports indicate that it was concussion like symptoms and the Chiefs medical staff was taking all the necessary precautions. Gaines is said to be fine, just going through the necessary treatments.

Other than that, the following players did not practice,

Seems like the typical banged up and bruised injuries we see in camp every year. None of the injuries seem to be that much of a concern, though we’d like to see these guys get back on the field quickly and get their reps.

Moving on, the wide receivers continue to be a position that’s standing out at this years camp.

Heading into St. Joe, we knew this would be an area that fans would be keeping their eyes on and right fully so. Well according to just about everyone who’s been up there every day, this is an area where the Chiefs might have the most depth and competition.

I wrote yesterday about Mark Harrison, and how he’s already making an impression during his first camp with the Chiefs. His 6-foot-3 frame is what stands out most but the fact that he’s making plays at that size is getting Chiefs fans excited.

We cannot predict that he’ll be a superstar, but we can state that he’s one of the best developmental prospects the Chiefs have had at receiver in a long time.

Along with A.J. Jenkins, who seems to be getting more comfortable in year two, and Frakie Hammond Jr., who is also in year two with Coach Reid’s system, the Chiefs are having some serious competition at a position that most viewed as a weakness heading into 2014. As Paylor stated, preseason games WILL matter for a lot of these young guys.

On Sunday, it was reported that the defensive line had a good day in O-line vs. D-line drills. Dontari Poe was an animal (what else would you expect?) and former 3rd round pick, Allen Bailey, had a big day as well.

On Tuesday, the tides turned when the offensive line was the group that had the dominant day.

The offensive line is the most important piece, in my opinion, to the Chiefs offensive success in 2014. With three starters leaving for free agency, the emphasis on that unit getting better was at the top of the list.

They were already the youngest offensive line in the NFL last season, and it looks to stay that way with new faces in Zach Fulton, Rishaw Johnson, and Eric Kush.

I love hearing that Fulton is an “anchor” along the front five already and the fact that John Dorsey plucked him out of the 6th round makes it even better. I’ve been told that since the day he walked into the facility, the Chiefs knew they had something special in this young player.

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His versatility stands out as well, as he’s been taking snaps as the center with the second team while Eric Kush continues to rehab his sore ankle.

Lastly, there was an update in the Alex Smith contract situation. Nothing has really changed, other than Andy Reid spoke about it again for the first time since OTA’s.

"“I mean, there’s communication going on.” Coach Reid said when asked about the situation, “Like I told you before, that’s the important thing.”“Alex is a good football player, he’s great for this football team, and we’re lucky to have him here.”"

Last week, the Kansas City Star reported that the two sides still had “significant differences” between the team and the player, but Coach Reid doesn’t believe it will lead to a distraction for his 30 year old quarterback.

"“I don’t think so, I don’t think so” Reid said, “Alex, he’s been around. He knows how it works.”“They’re working through it, so we’ll see what happens. These things take (time). You know how the game goes. Alex isn’t worried about it and I’m not worried about it. We just go play.”"

Inevitably, this is a story that will not die until Alex Smith is either no longer with the team, or signed to a new contract. As it seems now, Smith is keeping his head down and being a professional about the whole thing. Again, there is still a lot of time for this deal to get done, including the possibility of a franchise tag next season.

Personally, I feel like the media is making this more of a distraction, or wanting it to be, more than the Chiefs or Alex Smith have. Smith has a chance to prove once again that he’s worthy of a $17-18 million per year deal in 2014 and barring injury, I fully expect him to do so. We’ll just have to see how it all plays out.

Like I mentioned before, the Chiefs are off today (Tuesday, July 29th) and will continue practice tomorrow morning at 8:15 a.m. Stay tuned to KC Kingdom for all the latest Kansas City Chiefs training camp news.

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