The Kansas City Chiefs are at training camp and starting on Thursday, July 26; camp was open to the public. Here’s what we saw while attending.
The Kansas City Chiefs have begun training camp, and it is now open to the public. Thursday was the first day for fans to attend and the turnout was fantastic. Fans filled the bleachers, along the fences, and on the hill below the media tent. It was a great day for Chiefs fans to get their first look at the 2018 team.
There was plenty to take away from the practice and I went in with a few things I was looking for. I wanted to observe who was getting playing time with the starters on both sides of the ball, how involved were players who are coming off of injuries and take a look at some positional battles.
One thing to notice was wide receiver Sammy Watkins haircut. That’s right, he cut his hair short. It’s almost like he’s wanting to make it difficult for me to locate him when watching the All-22 film. Other than that, there were some players sitting out of yesterday’s practice.
The first that I noticed right away was inside linebacker Reggie Ragland. According to head coach Andy Reid who spoke to reporters after practice, Ragland’s knee puffed up when flying to Kansas City. He is on the NFI list (non-football injury list) and it shouldn’t be anything to worry about. Reid made sure to mention that he was in great shape.
Cornerback Ashton Lampkin was not on the field either as he is still rehabbing his ACL tear from last preseason. Lampkin was a player that many had hoped for during last year’s preseason with some of his flashes. He will have to come out swinging in preseason if he wants to make this roster in 2018.
Rookie safety Armani Watts is still on the sideline after straining his ankle on Monday in practice. He was carted off the field and into the Chiefs locker room to be looked at by the medical staff.
Other players that are coming back from injury were in full participation yesterday. Running back Spencer Ware, center Mitch Morse, wide receiver Chris Conley, and outside linebacker Dee Ford all saw reps with the starting lineups.