The 12th practice of Kansas City Chiefs training camp took place Tuesday morning in St. Joe on a nice day; the sun peeked out through clouds here and there on a cooler-than-typical August day in the Midwest. Fans, players and coaches have lucked out with the weather throughout this year’s time at camp.
The team released an unofficial depth chart ahead of Saturday’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo smiled through a question about it during his post-practice
press conference on Tuesday, revealing the author of the unofficial depth chart: Vice President of Football Communications Brad Gee.
“[L’Jarius Sneed has] been in the league for a while; Nohl [Williams] has too,” Spagnuolo said about the lineup. “It’s probably why Brad did it that way.”
“Neither LJ nor Delane has really practiced very much, so we’re way down the road on all that,” Spagnuolo elaborated. “Health will be a big issue, continuity, how many reps they’ve had going in, and we’ll see when we get to the first game.”
Now that your overreactions to the published depth chart are for naught, let’s go through what we learned from practice on Tuesday:
Attendance report
Right guard Trey Smith continued to sit out of practice, recovering from a hip injury off to the side. Same goes for linebacker Drue Tranquill (back spasms), cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (Knee), and defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott (Physically Unable to Perform list). Defensive end Ashton Gillotte (Hamstring) was back in pads at one point last week, but was not on the field and on the sideline during Tuesday’s work.
Wide receiver Rashee Rice (Knee) continued to fully participate in practice, along with rookie wideout Cyrus Allen (Shin bruise). Wide receiver Xavier Worthy (Shoulder) was in pads, but did not partake in the contact periods of practice.
Rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane participated further in practice, taking on wide receivers in the one-on-one periods and playing during seven-on-seven periods. In the full-team portions of practice, it still appeared that Delane would be on the sideline and cornerback Melvin Smith Jr. would take his place.
Wide receiver Jimmy Holiday, who has worked with the first-team offense due to receiver injuries, left practice early in the front seat of a cart, according to Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com.
Spagnuolo is eager to see tackling, getting off blocks in preseason
When Spagnuolo was asked about what he is eager to see from his unit in live action on Saturday, he made his priority clear.
“Always, the first one is tackling,” Spagnuolo shared. “And that’s probably preceded by what we call block destruction and getting off of blocks.”
The defensive coach went on to focus in on Monday’s performance from the defense at camp, wanting more out of the physical points of practice.
“Yesterday, I didn’t like the fact that a lot of run plays — and we’re getting a lot more run plays than we used to — a lot of those run plays were going right down the middle of our defense,” Spagnuolo said. “Now we’re not tackling, and it’s not live, but I would like to see us be a little bit more physical, so I’m looking for the physicality, the tackling and the block destruction; those would be the most important things.”
With first-round pick Mansoor Delane still donning a yellow, non-contact jersey in practice, there is a lot to learn about him as a player. Spagnuolo wants to ensure the defense’s reputation of having sure-tackling players in the back end continues.
“I think we’ve had a secondary, a defensive backfield that has tackled pretty well over the years,” Spagnuolo reflected. “I’d like these new guys to come in and embrace that and be good on the back end, so I’ll be looking for that.”
A note on the reserve linebackers
With veteran linebacker Drue Tranquill sitting out of practice due to back tightness, there has been more opportunity for others to play the WILL linebacker position next to Nick Bolton in the Chiefs’ starting defense. The two running the role the most are second-year linebacker Jeffrey Bassa and veteran Jack Cochrane.
“With Drue down, some other guys are getting a lot of reps,” Spagnuolo acknowledged. “I like what Jeff has been doing; Jack is a jack of all trades… he plays every spot there, whether we’re in sub or in base.”
With Bassa, Spagnuolo believes the experience he has gained so far in the NFL has helped him carve out a role.
“It makes a huge difference when you can come here to St. Joe after your second wave of OTAs,” Spagnuolo said. “They feel more comfortable; when they get tired, it isn’t as taxing because you know a little more about the defense.”
Other practice notes
Check out the live thread from the feed for observations from today’s practice!
The Chiefs will presumably be back in pads for Wednesday’s practice, starting at 9:15 a.m. on the grass fields at Missouri Western State. It will likely be the last full-contact session before the team prepares for this weekend’s exhibition at Arrowhead Stadium.
