Kansas City Chiefs: Second round of OTAs get underway
By Ben Almquist
The Kansas City Chiefs offseason program continues on today with the second round of OTAs. We are less than 100 days away from the start of the season.
The regimented NFL offseason continues today for the Kansas City Chiefs with the start of their second Organized Team Activities (OTAs) period. The Chiefs will be back on the field in helmets and shorts, with no contact, to get ready for the upcoming season. However, this time around there will be some interesting storylines.
The big news from the first round of OTAs was the absence of three key players: Justin Houston, Eric Berry, and Marcus Peters. While reporters pressed for details, Andy Reid appeared more put off by the consistent badgering of the press than with the actual absences.
Andy Reid, along with several others who were asked, repeatedly reminded reporters that OTAs are optional practices. This is 100% true, and it isn’t as though this is something that is a rarity in the NFL. Many players miss OTA sessions for a number of reasons.
Of course, it is preferable that the entire team shows up for every practice. However, it should be noted that none of the three players who missed practices would have a “concerning” reason for it. Eric Berry just got a new contract, Justin Houston is under contract until 2021, and Marcus Peters isn’t eligible for a new deal until after this season.
I’m not seeing this as a huge deal, but it will be interesting to see if any of the three show up this time.
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Alex Smith is pretty much set in stone as the starter for 2017. However, there is still some question over who the #2 will be. As it currently stands, Tyler Bray, and not 1st round pick Patrick Mahomes, is taking those reps. Bray has an experience edge over Mahomes, so that is probably the biggest factor.
Earlier this offseason, I said on Twitter that Tyler Bray winning the #2 job for Kansas City wouldn’t be a huge surprise…or deal. The Chiefs have been steadfast in their insistence that Patrick Mahomes is going to spend the year learning. Andy Reid also had some good things to say about Bray as the top backup. That may be a long-term setup.
Of course it would be great if Patrick Mahomes could come in and win the top backup job. It would allay some concerns about his ability to develop. However, the Chiefs have shown for a while now that they like Tyler Bray, so his winning the backup job shouldn’t be a concern.
There are other stories to follow in OTAs, but those two stand out for the Kansas City Chiefs. Personally, I don’t see much to be concerned with in either of these stories. However, as a writer, this stuff is gold, even if it is just telling you what you already know…it’s not a big deal.