On Wednesday, the Kansas City Chiefs had a weather-impacted practice for the second time in seven practices at training camp in St. Joe. This time, the team moved indoors for a good portion of practice, then came back out and finished on the wet grass fields to cap off the longest start-to-finish practice of camp.
In this post-practice interview with CBS Sports’ Evan Washburn, head coach Andy Reid praised the players for staying focused through “sudden change.” It seemed like the old ball coach enjoyed
putting his team through a unique circumstance, one that was rare, according to defensive tackle Chris Jones in a separate interview with Washburn.
“It started lightning earlier; we went inside. The first time ever, in 11 years, we came back to the field,” Jones told Washburn. “It was a really, really good practice… get out here so the fans can see us and give us a little energy on defense.”
Due to the rain, there were limited in-person observations from the Arrowhead Pride crew today. Check out the notes that were taken down in The Feed this morning.
Reid broke down the list of injured players after practice, but he also provided notes on a few different players. One of the most significant was about second-year left tackle Josh Simmons.
Andy Reid approves of Josh Simmons going up a weight class
Reid was asked about Simmons’ weight in his press conference, a point of discussion among many in Chiefs Kingdom this offseason when he debuted a stronger, bigger physique during OTAs.
“He put on weight in the offseason; he’s been able to maintain it,” Reid told the media. “I think it’ll help him, not that he couldn’t do it at the other weight, but this gives him a little bit more lead in his pants, and that pays off over time during the season.”
In his own post-practice press conference on Wednesday, Simmons confirmed he is playing at a weight the team is satisfied with.
“It’s definitely where it needs to be,” Simmons said about his weight.
Simmons is paired up with third-year left guard Kingsley Suamataia on one side of the line. The two are building their chemistry; Reid has taken note.
“You can see them communicating,” Reid noted. “Kingsley does a nice job with that, making sure Josh gets all the calls and everything. The more they play together, the better it’ll be; they’re both very gifted athletically, it’s just a matter of technique, fundamentals and all that stuff. They work like crazy on it.”
“I understand how he goes about blocks now,” Simmons said of Suamataia. “What he’s seeing when he’s coming to the line. If I can understand and kind of have that telepathy with him, I think that we can play a lot faster.”
On the other side of the offensive line, rookie right tackle Kahlil Benson seems to be settling in as a potential long-term starter alongside Simmons and Suamataia. Before we all get too far ahead of ourselves, Simmons has given Benson advice on how to proceed from a strong initial impression.
“I think Kahlil’s doing a great job; he’s a very physical player,” Simmons shared. “I think he should just add onto that; I don’t think you can really teach effort. I mean, that’s what he’s giving out there, so that’s really all I’m telling him right now.”
R Mason Thomas is testing Simmons, Chiefs’ offensive line
“Extremely explosive,” Simmons described rookie edge rusher R Mason Thomas. “You almost have to be offsides to stay in front of him. I think he’ll definitely keep me and any tackle on their toes to make sure we’re on the snap count, for sure.”
Get ready for Simmons leading the way on screen passes
“Extremely scary,” Simmons said about running back Kenneth Walker when asked about the screen game. “We kind of know what [Walker] does and what he’s capable of doing. As long as we can just target and get to our assignments, we know he’s going to take us home. One-hundred percent.”
Other notes from Andy Reid
Fourth-year defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah is looking for a career resurgence in 2026. One aspect of his game that lacked early in his career was speed off the ball. Reid has noted improvement in that area.
“With Gillotte down, he’s getting a few more reps in there, doing a nice job,” Reid said. “You can tell that his explosion off the ball is better… way different at getting off the ball. If there’s one thing that jumps out at me, it’s that.”
It was a strong day for the tight ends at training camp Wednesday. Noah Gray was the star of practice, but second-year tight end Jake Briningstool has finally been able to showcase his skills to Reid and the coaching staff after missing nearly all of last offseason with a hamstring injury.
“It’s great that he’s back-to-back in these practices here, then you get a chance to see what he’s all about,” Reid said of the former Clemson tight end. “He’s a good receiver, and he’s stuck his nose in there, and he’s blocking. My hat goes off to him; he just has to keep stacking them right now.”
Without wide receivers Xavier Worthy and rookie Cyrus Allen in the mix for practice Tuesday and Wednesday, two lesser-known names have stepped up: Andrew Armstrong and Jimmy Holiday.
“I like what Armstrong’s doing,” Reid pointed out. “He’s a big kid, strong, looks like the quarterbacks trust him… they trust him on his route running. He’s got good speed for a big kid and good transition; he’s not stiff coming out of breaks.”
“Jimmy’s the other one,” Reid continued. “He’s really shown the last few days here, and that’s important for his job here.”
