Chiefs training camp answered big questions and raised new ones in these 7 takeaways

This past week, I made my annual trip up to St. Joseph, Missouri, to watch a couple of days of the Kansas City Chiefs' training camp practices. Since the practices I watched were the final two before pads came on, I focused most of my attention on the offense because I feel like it's especially hard to judge the defense when they can't tackle or be overly physical.

So here are the things that stood out most to me while I was watching practice.

1. Patrick Mahomes will be just fine coming off his injury

The biggest thing I noticed with Patrick Mahomes regarding his injury was that his brace annoyed him. He would pull it up or adjust it after almost every play. However, it didn't seem to be hampering his mobility at all.

I also wondered if he would be hesitant to plant and throw on it, thus hurting his throwing power, but that didn't seem to be an issue either.

My concerns regarding Mahomes coming away from two days of practice are all about whether the supporting cast and play-calling will set him up for success. Mahomes is fine.

2. The Chiefs really are under center a lot more this year

We all heard the talk of beefing up the run game and potentially running the ball more, but I definitely had a "believe it when I see it" attitude going into camp. I even listed it as my most underrated question going into Chiefs training camp. However, having been to multiple training camp practices for most of the Andy Reid era, I did feel like this was the biggest emphasis on working under center that I've seen.

If Andy Reid keeps that dedication to calling more plays from under center, it could mean a real boost to the running game this season. The addition of Kenneth Walker obviously goes hand in hand with that game plan. We just simply haven't seen plays like this much in recent years in Kansas City.

3. Cyrus Allen looks like the real deal, but Jalen Royals doesn't

Cyrus Allen was the talk of camp both days that I was there. He made several big plays each day, and Patrick Mahomes was clearly targeting him regularly. To me, it felt like Mahomes was testing him to see how Allen would respond. Ninety percent of the time, Allen responded favorably. However, Saturday was also the day he went down with his shin injury, but not before making several more nice plays.

While Allen was living up to the hype, another recent draft pick was not. Jalen Royals just didn't stand out, and not just compared to Allen. On the days I was there, I felt like Andrew Armstrong, Jason Brownlee, and Jimmy Holiday all flashed as much as or more than Royals did. If Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Tyquan Thornton, and Cyrus Allen are all healthy (a big if), I just don't see Royals getting on the field this year (or maybe ever).

4. The battle at running back behind Kenneth Walker is interesting

For the two days I was at camp, the order of the running backs was frequently Walker, Brashard Smith, Emari Demercado, and Emmett Johnson. I've probably been too quick to write off Smith after the Chiefs signed Walker/Demercado and drafted Johnson. He looked fast, and I'm guessing his spot in the rotation is due to him knowing the playbook better than Demercado/Johnson.

I love Johnson's upside and think he's a lock to make the team, but it will be interesting to see if they keep four running backs. Smith is a former draft pick with great speed, but Demercado is probably the best pass blocker in the room, and that means a lot to Andy Reid. This is a battle to watch in the preseason games.

5. The battle for TE3 looks interesting as well

We all know that Travis Kelce is TE1 and Noah Gray is locked in at TE2, but I think that third spot is up for grabs. Even if the Chiefs keep four tight ends on the active roster, it is going to be a tough call on who doesn't make it. Jared Wiley, Tre Watson, and Jake Briningstool all look like they have a real shot at earning a roster spot.

Wiley is obviously the player that they've invested in the most, and he looks like a solid pass-catching option, but if the Chiefs want a third tight end that can also block, he might be the weakest of this trio. I was impressed with both Watson and Briningstool on the days I was at camp. This is another battle to watch in the preseason games.

6. Garrett Nussmeier throws a better ball than Justin Fields

Rookie Garrett Nussmeier was one of the players I was most interested in watching in camp. There is a lot more to playing quarterback in the NFL than just throwing a football, but if you just watch the actual passes, I feel like Nussmeier clearly throws the football better than Justin Fields. Having said that, I still think Fields will be (and should be) the primary backup for Mahomes this season.

While Nussmeier throws a great ball and often displayed better accuracy than Fields, he also held the football too long and had more trouble getting plays called and lined up. It's understandable that a rookie may need some time to develop, grow, learn the system, and adjust to the NFL game, but I really liked the potential I saw in Nussmeier.

7. I'm worried about right tackle

With the Chiefs not being in full pads while I was there, it's hard for me to put a lot of stock in the OL/DL matchups. They still get physical with each other, and you can see how they move, but when the pads come on is when you can really see how they respond. Having said that, I wasn't overly excited about what I saw at right tackle.

On one hand, an undrafted rookie (Kahill Benson) looking as good as a couple of veterans is impressive, but it also may be a sign that the Chiefs don't have a true NFL-caliber starting right tackle on their roster. On the two days I was there, Benson didn't look worse than Jaylon Moore or Esa Pole, but he didn't look better either.

I hope I'm wrong, but on the days I was there, it looked like the Chiefs have three solid backup right tackles and zero reliable starting ones. Simply put, there are still more questions than answers at this position.

So there you have it, Chiefs fans. Those are my seven key takeaways from watching the Chiefs practice up in St. Joseph, Missouri. If you've never made it out to watch training camp, I highly recommend it. If any of you were also there on Friday and Saturday, I'd love to hear if you agree or disagree with my takeaways.

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