Two members of the Kansas City Chiefs young secondary remain out of commission for training camp practice on Tuesday.
As the Kansas City Chiefs continue to practice at training camp before the rest of the veterans arrive, two younger players hoping for playing time in the secondary are being held out on Tuesday. Both safety Armani Watts and cornerback Ashton Lampkin sat out even as each passing day would be helpful to their case to not only make the team but earn playing time.
Watts was the team’s fourth round pick out of Texas A&M and was immediately thrown into the short list of potential starters at free safety now that the team has released multi-year starter Ron Parker this offseason. Watts unfortunately injured his ankle in practice and was taken off the field on a cart to the team’s locker room after being attended to by the training staff.
Eric Murray is another name vying for the spot, but he also failed to really stand out last season despite being given considerable opportunities to show what he can do. Once Watts returns from injury, he should compete with Murray for that starting spot, although it’s possible that someone else—perhaps Leon McQuay, last year’s sixth round pick— will also step in as a potential competitor for those reps. Daniel Sorensen also has plenty of experience for the Chiefs.
As for Ashton Lampkin, the former Oklahoma State standout was a key undrafted free agent signing in the offseason. He spent all of last season on injured reserve with a torn ACL, but he showed strong in the preseason. He was a special teams ace for the Cowboys and could serve in that same role if he can regain his health.
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Given his health concerns, however, Lampkin faces an uphill climb to make the roster once again unless the team can stash him on injured reserve or the practice squad. The promise is definitely there, but with another young class of roster hopefuls trying to make the team, availability becomes as important as anything else.