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The latest
Hyde ‘taking advantage’ of reps with Williams injured | NFL.com
In Kansas City, Hyde suddenly has the opportunity to stake a claim for a starting role again with Williams currently out of the rotation. The 28-year-old back is well aware of what’s at stake for him this summer.
”Preseason, I just want to be on point,” Hyde said Saturday. “Execute my plays. Whenever Coach calls my number, you know, execute that play. Make plays for the offense. Show the coaches when it comes to game time, they can definitely count on me and show Pat (Mahomes) also that he can count on me, throwing me the ball when it comes and when it’s real.”
Under-the-radar Hitchens a quiet leader for Chiefs defense | Kansas City Star
As most of the chatter around the defense focuses on the big changes led by Steve Spagnuolo, Clark and Mathieu, Hitchens is a steady, under-the-radar presence in the linebacking corps, the kind of leader to his position group that the other two marquee defensive players are to the line and secondary.
Hitchens knows he doesn’t have the same leadership style as other players on his team, but he doesn’t need it.
“I take pride in being a leader,” Hitchens said after Saturday’s practice, the team’s fourth in pads. “I set the defense. I get everybody lined up. I try to lead by example, the right way, on and off the field.
The 1 UDFA Turning Heads in Every NFL Team’s Training Camp | Bleacher Report
Kansas City Chiefs: CB Mark Fields
The Kansas City Chiefs have two bona fide starters at cornerback, Bashaud Breeland and Kendall Fuller. Charvarius Ward could grab one of the top three spots, but he’s still unproven with only 139 defensive snaps on his pro resume. He’ll likely face competition throughout the preseason.
BJ Kissel of Chiefs.com noted Mark Fields’ solid showing in one-on-one drills.
”Fields continues his strong start to #ChiefsCamp. The former Clemson Tiger just made a great play on a slant in 1-on-1. No safety. Pure 1-on-1. Broke on play and knocked down the pass,” Kissel tweeted.
At Clemson, Fields displayed quickness and physicality, but he was mostly as a reserve through four years. The former Tiger ran a 4.37-second 40-yard time at the NFL Scouting Combine. When you consider his speed and the glimpses of his coverage ability, he’s an intriguing undrafted rookie.
Chiefs show off wide receiver depth at Sunday’s practice as Tyreek Hill rests | Kansas City Star
While the top four receivers — Hill, Watkins, Robinson and Hardman — are a lock to make the 53-man roster, the tightest competition in camp is the battle to make the final two wide receiver spots with the embarrassment of riches in that position group.
Chiefs brass made sure to talk up Byron Pringle during the offseason, and the receiver has been solid in camp so far. But he’s not a lock to make the roster. He’ll be fighting for one of those final spots along with Gehrig Dieter, rookie Cody Thompson and Kemp.
“I’m pretty sure it’s going to be hard on the coaches,” Watkins said earlier in the week. “We have 13 guys, and literally, I think all these guys that are in the group have a chance to go out there and play. It’s a great group, it’s competitive and I wish the best for the guys that don’t make the team and go somewhere else.”
It was all simply an incredible opportunity, enticing young athletes from all over to make the trip to St. Joseph for not only Chiefs’ camp, but for a training camp experience of their own.
“We have kids from Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas out here today,” said Gary Spani, the Chiefs’ Director of Community Engagement. “They’ve come in for training camp with their families, but this also gives the kids a chance to do their own training and drills before they go watch the Chiefs do it.”
Now, it’s locked in on Vegas’ projected 2019 NFL win totals. We can tell you the model says the Oakland Raiders go under their projected total of six. Oakland stockpiled draft picks by trading away Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper in 2018, and second-year head coach Jon Gruden surprised many with the selections he made in the 2019 NFL Draft.
The Raiders took defensive end Clelin Ferrell No. 4 overall and then drafted running back Josh Jacobs 24th and safety Johnathan Abram 27th. All three could be thrust into starting roles now, but rookie struggles could significantly challenge the team in an AFC West that includes the Chiefs and Chargers, two of the league’s best teams last season.
Jags DE Ngakoue ends holdout without new deal | ESPN
Ngakoue is due to make $2.02 million this season and held out because he wants a deal similar to the mega-contracts that pass-rushers DeMarcus Lawrence of the Cowboys and Frank Clark of the Chiefs signed in the offseason.
Both players’ deals are worth more than $100 million, with Lawrence receiving $65 million guaranteed and Clark getting $62.3 million.
Ngakoue said he had no idea why the Jaguars were unwilling to meet his contract demands -- something similar to the $21 million annual salary that Lawrence received -- but he said he isn’t going to dwell on that and is focusing on the 2019 season.
Ngakoue has recorded 29.5 sacks and 10 forced fumbles since he entered the league as a third-round pick in 2016. He has more sacks over the past three seasons than Lawrence (26), as well as new Niners DE Dee Ford (25) and new Lions DE Trey Flowers (21), who also got new contracts that guaranteed them $45 million and $56 million, respectively.
Around the league
Tom Brady agrees to contract extension with Patriots | NFL.com
Brady was set to enter the final season of a two-year restructured deal before he struck an extension with the Pats this weekend. Before the new contract was agreed to, Brady was scheduled to make $15 million and carry a $27 million cap hit in 2019. Brady has still never entered a season in the final year of his deal.
Already in uncharted territory, Brady is now under contract through 2021, his age-44 season. The quarterback has insisted for years that he would like to play until he’s at least 45 years old. This deal keeps that goal still in the realm of possibility.
5 potential Hall of Fame careers in the NFL that were derailed by injuries | SB Nation
Not every great NFL player can be as fortunate as Tom Brady or Jerry Rice when it comes to longevity. Most players slow down long before hitting age 40. Even playing into your 30s takes relatively good luck.
Football is a violent sport and injuries can always knock a star’s career off track.
Voters for the Pro Football Hall of Fame are sometimes forgiving of players who shined bright for only a brief period of time. Maybe the best example is Bears legend Gale Sayers, who played only 68 games in the NFL before knee injuries ended his career. Despite finishing with fewer than 5,000 rushing yards, Sayers still got inducted.
But that’s rare and happened in another era. For most players now, it takes a long career of accumulating big numbers to warrant a spot in the Hall of Fame. Those who are cut down early by injuries get left out, and are often overlooked in history as a result.
Why Yahoo ranks 49ers among NFL’s top 10 most tortured fan bases | Yahoo Sports
“This is a team that could combine its win total of the last three years and still have trouble catching the Rams,” Busbee wrote. “The fans that have made the pilgrimage down from San Francisco to watch this strange little team can at least take comfort that they once had a truly great dynasty … once. And it’s probably best if they don’t think about the fact that front-office spats cost the team a shot at another back in the Harbaugh/Kaepernick Super Bowl days.”
Ouch.
In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride
Tony Gonzalez makes amends with Chiefs fans during Hall of Fame speech
”During my rookie year, I hit what is called ‘the rookie wall.’ I was struggling,” Gonzalez recalled. “Marcus — whom I didn’t know that well — came up to me and said, ‘Hey. Give me your phone number. I’m going to~ give you a call.’ I had no idea what he wanted. He called me that night and said, ‘Keep your head up. You got this. Don’t worry about a thing.’ That means a lot. It taught me going forward how to treat all the young players.”
Sunday injury report: Damien Williams remains Chiefs’ starting RB despite missed week
Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy confirmed that Williams remains the Chiefs’ first option at running back despite his week-long injury.
“Obviously, he’s the starter,” Bieniemy said after Sunday’s workout. “We need to make sure that Damien continues to do the things that he needs to do in order to help himself to be ready when called upon—things in the training room with (head athletic trainer and vice president) Rick (Burkholder), and that’s going to take care of itself. But right now, we’re not worried about that. We’re only worried about the guys that are putting in the work on the field.”
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