Chamarri Conner appreciates early time for rookies at Chiefs training camp

For a few days, the rookies have the Kansas City Chiefs coaching staff all to themselves.

This weekend, the rest of the Chiefs' roster—namely, all of the veterans—will be forced to report to St. Joseph, Missouri for the team's training camp at Missouri Western State University. It's the offiical end of the offseason on July 22 and the beginning of a grueling few weeks of camp intended to help the staff and front office sort out the competition.

For now, however, the rookies, such as cornerback Chamarri Conner, have some time with the coaches to practice and showcase what they've learned before the bulk of competition gets there.

The Chiefs fourth round pick is taking advantage of his time with Chiefs coaches before the rest of his competition arrives in camp.

Conner, who was the team's fourth round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft as a defensive back out of Virginia Tech, spoke with reporters from Chiefs camp and said he appreciated having a bit of extra time to work with teammates and coaches.

"It’s great to be out here before the vets get back into the swing of things, before them come. Because you already know when they come, it’s go time. It’s already go time, but it’s definitely going to be up when the vets get here. So it’s great to get here early, get on the field, to get into the swing of things."

One of the best aspects for camp for Conner has been to glean all that he can from his new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

"[The best thing has been] just learning from Coach Spags. You know, he’s always on me, so just get all the information from him and learn from someone who’s been doing it for so long has been great for me."

The Chiefs have praised Conner's physical playing style and versatility coming into camp and it will be very interesting to see how they utilize him when the rest of the youthful core of the secondary arrive. For now, however, he's taking advantage of every opportunity before then to make his presence felt.

"It’s been good going through OTAs and being able to see what I’ve already been learning. Then to come back and learn it again has been really good for me."