Kansas City Chiefs fans will finally get their first real look at Mansoor Delane in training camp. On Thursday, the Chiefs were back at it in St. Joseph before a day off ahead of the preseason opener against the L.A. Rams, and Delane was out of the yellow non-contact jersey for the first time.
It's notable that the Chiefs weren't having a padded practice on Thursday, but the fact that Delane was not wearing yellow was a great sign that he's headed toward being ready to go to start the regular season in Kansas City's secondary.
Delane's status is a major talking point among fans given his status as the team's earliest pick in any draft class since 2013, when the Chiefs selected Central Michigan offensive tackle Eric Fisher at No. 1 overall. General manager Brett Veach dealt up from No. 9 overall to No. 6 in the '26 draft to land the LSU cornerback, who was widely considered to be the best in this year's class.
A shoulder blade injury suffered earlier this spring has kept Delane out since the very end of OTAs. He sat for most of mandatory minicamp while the rest of his rookie class got their first taste of camp with their veteran teammates. Then, in training camp, the cautious approach with Delane has kept him from full participation, bringing his availability into question.
Chiefs fans got to see Mansoor Delane out of the yellow jersey in camp for the first time.
Veach explained the injury in a recent Sirius XM interview and said that the team wasn't concerned about the long-term impact but that it had to completely heal first. Head coach Andy Reid has stated that the coaches have had to protect Delane from himself, since his aggressive and competitive nature has kept him chomping at the bit to get out there with everyone else.
After trading away Trent McDuffie and losing Jaylen Watson in free agency, the Chiefs are largely resetting the secondary this offseason, which is why Delane's presence is so important. He's the new cornerstone for a unit that's asking several new faces to come together and help a defense rebound from a 6-11 campaign in 2025 that saw the Chiefs outside of the playoff seeding for the first time in more than a decade.
With three preseason games to go and a full month until the regular-season opener against the Denver Broncos, Delane has plenty of time to work with trainers and heal from the shoulder injury. What has been lost is the full range of preseason reps, but the Chiefs have to hope that his natural talent will still be a positive asset from the jump anyway.
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