Chiefs Camp 2015: Positions race to ready for the season
By Ryan Tracy
Dec 7, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Chiefs 17-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Training camp Week #2 began in St. Joseph with some rain, but the Kansas City Chiefs are on schedule. They need to be. The race is on.
Camp will be turned up a notch today. They need to get some serious work in pads over the next days before dialing it back in preparation to travel. The team plays its first preseason game this Saturday night when they face the Arizona Cardinals.
There are several places on this roster that will start to see some clarity up to and on Saturday. The offensive line has been question since last season, but its taking shape. In the contested positions, the departure of Cyrus Gray will make special teams play a deciding factor for some of the most interesting position battles.
I’ll be watching several positions this week in practice and Saturday’s game for signs of progress.
The O-line Situation
Its early in camp, but the coaches have had a solid feel for their lineman since camp opened. For that reason, there are players that I need to see get significant reps in the next couple of weeks.
For various reasons, I find it hard to see the team keeping more than nine offensive linemen. Barring injury, that’s just how it boils down for me.
Whoever can produce the best play on special teams will have a chance at making this roster
The current starting five of Eric Fisher, Ben Grubbs, Eric Kush, Jeff Allen and Donald Stephenson are obvious keepers. Five down. Allen, like him or not, gives general manager John Dorsey and head coach Andy Reid the guard/tackle versatility they crave. Still they will need to keep a dedicated backup tackle. Pughsley is six. There is no conceivable way Dorsey cuts his second round pick. Mitch Morse makes seven. Fulton has seen time with the first team at guard when Allen slides to right tackle and he’s taking snaps at center as well. Fulton makes eight.
The last spot looks like it will come down to the battle between second-year Canadian Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and newly signed veteran Paul Fanaika. Duvernay-Tardif had been running ahead of Fanaika until Friday and it brought a lot of questions. With his experience, why was he behind Duvernay-Tardif? Was he a missed signing?
The decision will need some time and film to work out. The decision will be convoluted for Reid and Dorsey. Both leaders have gushed over Duvernay-Tardif since drafting him. He’s their kind of strong, smart lineman with better than average movement skills. Fanaika is a road grader, much like Fulton, but they spent quite a bit of money on him.
Fanaika signed a three-year deal and got a significant signing bonus. His cap number for 2015 is $1.38M. Duvernay-Tardif’s cap number of $543K could become a factor. It shouldn’t, but it may. Duvernay-Tardif is likely eligible for the practice squad again, but he probably would not clear waivers. Sneaking him onto the practice squad is a long shot Dorsey may not be able to pull off.
To stay a Chief, Duvernay-Tardif likely has to outplay Fanaika by a good margin.
Next: What about the secondary?