The Kansas City Chiefs have had plenty of time to see Tyler Bray after he's been on the roster for the past three years. What they haven't seen as much is how Bray does in live game action. He had three preseason appearances in 2013 and again in 2014 before missing the 2015 preseason with injury. Despite that the Chiefs gave him a contract extension last year and installed him as the No. 2 quarterback this year. So, they like something.
One thing the Chiefs need to see more of is how Bray handles pressure, which is the big difference between practice and games.
"Just as I was mentioning before, you really want to see bodies around him," Chiefs OC Brad Childress said this week via quotes from the Chiefs. "He’s a big, tall, physical presence with a big arm. You want to see that decision making when there’s a bunch of push in the pocket or someone comes free and whacks him and he’s got to get up and make the play next time. “
This is huuuuuge. A lot of players can look very good in OTAs where you're working with shorts and no pads. However, when the bullets come flying, how are you going to react? Do you become skittish or are you the next Brady? Do you get happy feet or stick to your fundamentals? Are you willing to take a hit?
It's possible that handling pressure could be of Bray's strengths because of his physical make-up. He is a big body at 6'6 so he can see over everyone and he's not the athlete that Alex Smith is so the threat to run away from defenders likely isn't there.
This is just one of those things you don't know until the lights go on. If Brady ... err, Bray ... has a shot at the Chiefs No. 2 job, he'll need to prove in camp and the preseason that he can hang in the pocket.