Did you know there's a CB battle?
When Ron Parker took Sean Smith's place in the defense late this offseason, I thought it was in retaliation to Smith's incident and that Smith would return soon to the starting lineup. Apparently, not. At least not yet. Parker ran with the first team on day one. Smith was on the second team. I didn't expect to see a position battle here but it looks like that's what is happening. I would still be surprised if Smith wasn't a starter. This is one to monitor throughout camp.
Rishaw Johnson, Zach Fulton battling at RG
Rishaw Johnson was the favorite entering the season. But it was Zach Fulton who saw the most first team work the last time we saw the Chiefs at their mandatory minicamp in June. On Thursday, Johnson was back to running with the first team. I bet we're going to see a lot of rotating between these two during camp. The upside for the Chiefs is that whoever loses this battle becomes a possible reserve.
Junior Hemingway seems to lead slot WR battle
I like Hemingway. I like that he's a little bit bigger to withstand some of the hits over the middle of the field. He will see plenty of snaps this season because he can play the slot but he can also play the outside. He has sure hands and he offers some versatility. In an offense searching for their next wave of receivers, that's a good combination.
The others in the competition:
- Weston Dressler is an interesting candidate. He's small, which is the thing. He's produced in the CFL for a number of years so he has that going for him. Unless he can crack a returner job, the numbers at receiver are going to be tight for him.
- Frankie Hammond is a young receiver who has stood out. Hammond's advantage is having spent last season on the practice squad. Albert Wilson is another young guy to keep an eye on.
- When De'Anthony Thomas was drafted, we thought he would be playing more in the slot. But so far in practices, he's mostly lined up in the backfield, sometimes shifting out to receiver.
Allen Bailey remains first team DE
The 300-pound Bailey sure looks like the top choice as Mike DeVito's sidekick at defensive end. He was there throughout the offseason and lined up with the first team on Thursday. He looks like the early favorite.
Mike Catapano and Vance Walker got second team reps. The best case scenario for the Chiefs would be a nice rotation that includes all of these guys. All three can offer some versatility in the Chiefs subpackages.
Husain Abdullah settling into safety
The Chiefs defense moves around a lot. When they're in nickel and dime, things shift quite a bit. I saw plays this offseason and on Thursday where Abdullah was closer to the line of scrimmage and Berry and another safety (usually Sanders Commings, before he was injured) deep. Abdullah will probably be playing deep most of the time ... but there are plenty of options.
Your Chase Daniel vs. Tyler Bray vs. Aaron Murray update
The QB rotation remains: Alex Smith, Chase Daniel, Tyler Bray, Aaron Murray. All quarterbacks saw some time with some first team players on Thursday, which is new from the offseason. It's too early to make any big declarative statements about how this group stands. Daniel and Bray have been in the offense for a year, so I'm excited to see how Murray progresses this camp.