We are five days into Kansas City Chiefs training camp this year and have only seen one full practice with the team in pads.
As I drove back from St. Joe to Kansas City on Monday afternoon, a thought came to mind: who has been the single-most impressive performer, the MVP so to speak, of Chiefs camp so far?
From Day 1 to Day 5, it sort of
blew me away how easily I settled on linebacker Drue Tranquill to answer that question.
Tranquill has shown off his ability to anticipate run plays and knife into the backfield from the weak-side linebacker position, but he has also played on the edge in a few looks that featured three down linemen and three linebackers; Tranquill was the fourth player on the edge, in a similar role to former Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal during his time.
He has looked stout against the run, but Tranquill feels like the answer because of his effort and energy to make plays in coverage. On Saturday, he seemingly baited quarterback Patrick Mahomes into throwing over the middle, watching his eyes and driving from the back side to make the interception in a seven-on-seven period.
Throughout practices, Tranquill has played with urgency when dropping into coverage, sticking to pass catchers entering his zone and denying passes regardless of how far down the field the route goes.
On one play Monday, Mahomes looked for wide receiver Jimmy Holiday down the field towards the sideline, but Tranquill back-handed the ball away, looking like a defensive back in the process.
He seems to be having a complete camp, with high energy included. He’ll get animated after making a big play and bring fire out of teammates, like when running back Kenneth Walker beamed Tranquill with the ball after Tranquill finished a play aggressively in shells.
It’s not a bad thing to stir the pot at camp, but that play — along with the interception mentioned before — symbolizes Tranquill’s mentality as one of the defense’s veteran leaders.
“[We’re] trying to make an emphasis this year on getting the ball out,” Tranquill told the media after Friday’s practice. “We need to get the ball out more on defense.”
Who has stood out to you the most from your intake of camp coverage, or your own in-person observations? Let us know in the comments.
