Kansas City Chiefs training camp 2013: Position battle updates in day 10 practice report

Update: Chiefs first depth chart released

Injury updates

Donald Stephenson was at practice but not participating. He had finger surgery earlier this week. He is expected to miss Friday's preseason game against the New Orleans Saints.

Cyrus Gray also returned. He had missed several days with an injury.

Travis Kelce went down with a groin injury. We don't know if it's significant or not, but he remained at practice watching from the sidelines.

Miguel Chavis, offensive defensive lineman, was out today.

Mike Catapano remains out.

Position battles to keep an eye on

All Chiefs practice reports

Inside linebacker: This has mostly been Akeem Jordan but Nico Johnson saw some first team reps today. Bob Sutton, Chiefs defensive coordinator, said today that this position was open.

Wide receiver: Jon Baldwin had been lining up opposite Dwayne Bowe as the No. 2 receiver for most of camp. Today Donnie Avery stepped into that role. Hmm. Definitely one to keep an eye on.

Chiefs have all kinds of formations

I can't give away too much but the Chiefs are "exotic" on both offense and defense as far as their formations are concerned.

It's not unusual to see the Chiefs linebackers bunched up together in one spot. Or to see a lot of defensive backs on the field. Offensively you'll see a lot of pre-snap motion. Players lining up in different positions -- from running backs to tight ends to receivers. They may line up in one spot but motion to another.

I think this is part of what guys like Jamaal Charles was talking about when they said they have a lot of things to remember. It's not just a big playbook, but these guys are going to be playing multiple positions.

We saw a lot of different formations not just today but all of camp.

Tyler Bray is showing something

He obviously has the strongest arm of anyone in camp. He's not as consistent as Alex Smith but when he makes a big-time throw you start to imagine what could be.

He had an outstanding pass to Jamar Newsome deep down the left sideline. Credit to Newsome for pulling it in. He had another one to Newsome that showed excellent touch in the corner of the end zone. Same thing with a pass to Josh Bellamy to the other corner of the end zone.

The arm strength is obvious and it's what makes him exciting as a prospect. But I was impressed with his ability to scale things back and loft a ball into the right place down on the goal line.

Alex Smith and Chase Daniel seem, at the moment, firmly entrenched as the top two quarterbacks. Bray, in my mind, has clearly pulled away from Ricky Stanzi as the third quarterback. It wouldn't stun me if Bray starts pushing Daniel later on in the season, but that's obviously a lofty statement based on nine camp practices.

Again, he has his issues. He makes mistakes. But he's the easiest quarterback in camp to get excited about.

More observations

• Jamaal has all-red socks. They're sweet.
• Eric Kush had another bobbled snap with Chase Daniel. That's becoming a regular occurrence it seems. But Kush hasn't been all bad. He looked solid at times in o-line drills.
• After hearing of Eric Fisher having his hands banged up early in practice, I noticed that Kush was the only one of the linemen who did not wear gloves on both hands.
• Penalties are a thing during practice. Someone hopped offsides before one play. Looked like Branden Albert but I can't say who got the penalty.
• Devon Wylie had a nice grab on a slant pass. The defensive back was all over him yet the pulled in the pass from Alex Smith.
• We've noted Knile Davis's drops before. He had a pass that was behind him that he dropped.
• Tony Moeaki and Anthony Fasano both caught touchdown passes from Alex Smith in goal line work. They both also had diving attempts that just fell out of their grasp.
• Chase Daniel showed a nice touch on his pass as he lofted one to Knile Davis in the end zone. This came in goal line work.
• Devon Wylie caught a pass in the middle of the field and, in a non-tackling session, Quintin Demps bumped him and he hit the deck. Demps caught him at the perfect time, it wasn't a real hit.
• Alex Smith had some sort of shovel pass that went awry.
• The Chiefs worked in some 11-on-11 and incorporated the field goal unit into it. Ryan Succop hit two field goals from 52 and 47 yards.
• Austen Lane stands out during linemen drills. Going up against the Chiefs offensive linemen, he had some violent moves using his hands. Is he the third best defensive end right now?
• In those linemen drills, Dontari Poe drove Jeff Allen back pretty well. These drills took place right in front of the fans so there was cheering going on.
• Terrance Copper had a catch during team work. Is he in the mix for the receiver rotation?
• Bowe vs. Flowers is always fun ... Bowe ripped a catch away as Flowers arrived at the ball at the same time. Bowe can use his size to his advantage.

Best jersey

Banner day for old Chiefs jerseys.

Tamarick Vanover

Dan Saleaumua

Best photo of John Dorsey when he's not looking

More from Arrowhead Pride:

• Eric Fisher playing hurt early on in KC Chiefs training camp
• Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 8/4
• Curley Culp among 7 Hall of Fame inductees in the Class of 2013
• Rokevious Watkins, 2012 draft pick, agrees with Kansas City Chiefs
• Kansas City Chiefs working out a free agent cornerback on Monday