Chiefs begin mandatory minicamp Tuesday

Phase three of the NFL offseason for the Kansas City Chiefs resumes Tuesday with mandatory minicamp, which runs for the next three days. Since April 15, offseason workouts have been voluntary. Tuesday’s minicamp is just what it says — mandatory (players can be penalized for skipping workouts).

The Chiefs held their third and final open OTA media session last Thursday, June 6. Unlike OTAs, the NFL and the Chiefs allow media members to watch each day of mandatory minicamp. Select players, right now unannounced, are expected to be available after Tuesday’s practice. Here are five questions on our minds as the Chiefs enter mandatory minicamp.

The final mandatory minicamp practice and media session is this Thursday, June 13, and that’s when head coach Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes are scheduled to speak to the media. It’s worth noting that many NFL head coaches will cancel the final day of mandatory minicamp if they are pleased with how the offseason went. Reid did just that last year.

If Reid decides to cancel the final day of practice, we’ll still get to hear from him one last time.

Thursday’s session leads into a five-week dead period ahead of Chiefs training camp up in St. Joseph. With no scheduled routine for the next five-plus weeks, it will be up to them to stay in shape and out of trouble.

This is the period of the NFL calendar where any news is probably bad news, so the final message to players is typically to be smart.

What we learned from the third open media session of OTAs

• Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce should be ready to play by training camp
• Safety Juan Thornhill missed OTAs Thursday but looms large in the Chiefs’ plans for 2019
• One year ago, Chiefs starting RB Damien Williams was hardly on our radar
• Mecole Hardman on Patrick Mahomes: there’s no time for “awe mode”