Important takeaways from Kansas City Chiefs training camp

Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp: Defensive Takeaways

Defensive Tackle:

I didn't watch a ton of the defensive tackles, but what I did see supported what I thought going in. The Chiefs really need to pay Chris Jones. Derrick Nnadi is a solid contributor. Keondre Coburn has some intriguing potential, but after that, the cupboard is pretty bare.

The most impressive thing Danny Shelton did in my two days there was get involved with the jumbo package on offense at the goal line. If Jones is still holding out for the first preseason game and Tershawn Wharton hasn't been cleared to play then the Chiefs could be pretty soft on the interior.

Defensive Ends:

At defensive end I focused on watching the new additions of Charles Omenihu, Felix Anudike-Uzomah, and BJ Thompson. I've got some specific thoughts on each, but overall I thought they were all solid, but not spectacular.

Charles Omenihu: Omenihu was largely as advertised. He's a strong edge defender who isn't a speed guy off the edge. Omenihu had some pass rush wins on stunts and inside moves and I think he'll help the Chiefs pass rush. Just don't count on him to beat tackles off the edge.

Felix Anudike-Uzomah: FAU was pretty quiet the two days I was there. He didn't look bad, but he wasn't dominating the second-string, tackles he was going against. Sunday's camp reports seemed to indicate that he had one of his better days, but when I was there he looked like a guy that would need a little time to develop and adjust to the NFL. That's fine. Hopefully, he just continues to improve and much like George Karlafits last year, he can start to make more plays in the second half. He is one of only a few guys on the team that has the potential to win off the edge so that would be huge for KC.

BJ Thompson: Speaking of winning off the edge, BJ Thompson is fun to watch. There were some plays where he looked better than Anudike-Uzomah going against the second and third-string tackles and others where he got absolutely washed out of the play. That's to be expected by a player with his speed, but lacking the power to anchor at the NFL level. Frankly, if he only gets in to rush on third and long, it would be fine if he was hit or miss. An occasional win as a pass rusher is worth the misses. Just don't have him out there versus the run.

Linebackers and Defensive Backs:

I was planning on paying attention to how the Chiefs rotated the top four linebackers, but Drue Tranquill got hurt early in practice on Friday and didn't practice at all on Saturday so I opted to watch other positions instead.

I did try to watch some of the guys competing for the final few defensive back spots. Nazeeh Johnson, Nic Jones, and Chamarri Conner all flashed some nice plays. Deon Bush didn't stand out (good or bad) and he may end up being the odd man out if Jones and Conner both perform well. I was bummed to hear that Johnson went down after practice was moved inside and has now been put on IR. He was probably the most impressive of those four I watched.

Finally, Justin Reid practiced field goals before practice on Saturday. Check out the distance he got on this 50 yard attempt below.

That's it for my observations on the players. If you're planning a trip to camp this year or in the future I have a few tips/observations for fans too. So keep reading if that might be something you're looking at doing.