Andy Reid and Trey Smith react to the offensive line’s first padded practice

After Friday’s training camp practice at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph — the first conducted with players in full pads — Kansas City Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid said he likes what he is seeing from his new offensive line.

“They did pretty good,” Reid said of free-agent tackles Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor. “It’s a challenge mentally and physically for them — being new and then going through the practice like this. [They’re] not always used to that — but I thought they hung in there pretty good.”

On Wednesday, center Creed Humphrey said that returning right guard Trey Smith was the teammate who was most excited to begin padded practices — and Reid concurred.

“He’s always ready to hit somebody,” said Reid. “He’s a tough kid — and I thought he did a good job.”

After finally getting the chance to do it, Smith said that the first practice in pads felt “a little bit rusty.”

“Someone made the comment earlier,” he reflected, “[that] the last time we really put on pads was during the Super Bowl. I was like, ‘Dang, that’s been a while.’

“So you have some things that you gotta clean up — some things you can be a little bit tighter technique-wise — but it’s always good to put the pads back on. It’s always good knowing the season’s around the corner.”

While he gets acclimated to training camp’s daily routine, Smith is enjoying working with Humphrey and left guard Joe Thuney — along with his new teammates.

“The interior is still the same, so getting the chance to work with my guys Joe and Creed is always fun,” he remarked. “But then, also having our new tackles Donovan and Jawaan Taylor? They’re doing an excellent job. [They’re] just making sure they’re getting up to speed in terms of what we do as an offense, what we do as a team and our culture.”

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Now entering his third year as the team’s starting right guard, Smith doesn’t think winning last season’s Super Bowl has reduced the team’s motivation to succeed.

“We’re always hungry, man. I’m hungry right now! I could go for a corn dog,” he joked. “At the end of the day, we’re always hungry. We understand that even though we might have won it last year, no one cares.

“That’s the reality of football; that’s the reality of the game we play. No one really cares what we did the previous year. It [only] matters what you put on the field [in] this current year — what you show up and do.”

Smith believes that in 2023, the best benchmark for measuring his own success will be his consistency.

“Measuring my game play — and who I am as a player — ultimately depends on how well I do day-in and day-out,” he explained. “The feedback I get from my coaches [is] obviously, ‘Good job’ — or, ‘Hey, you have to do this better.’ But ultimately, I think the best way for me to measure this year is consistency. How consistent [can I be]? How effective can I be at getting my job done on a consistent basis?

“That’s what I’m looking for out of myself: way more consistency this year.”