As the Kansas City Chiefs walked down the hill toward their practice field at St. Joseph\u2019s Missouri Western State University on Thursday morning, veteran cornerback Kristian Fulton was finally with them.<\/p>\n
Signed to a two-year, $20 million contract in March, Fulton has spent the entire camp on the team\u2019s Active\/PUP (physically-unable-to-perform) list as he recovered from an offseason cleanup surgery on his knee. He and linebacker Drue Tranquill \u2014 who also returned to the practice field on Thursday after missing four days of practice with a strained back \u2014 only took part in individual drills.<\/p>\n
Neither is expected to play in Saturday night\u2019s preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, but Fulton\u2019s return probably means he\u2019ll get plenty of playing time in the third preseason game against the Chicago Bears on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on August 22. And for him, that should open the door to the season opener against his former team \u2014 the Los Angeles Chargers \u2014 in Sao Paulo, Brazil on September 5.<\/p>\n
So that was an excellent way to begin the team\u2019s final practice before Saturday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll in all, [it was a] good practice,\u201d announced head coach Andy Reid. \u201c[A] long one today. The guys got a lot of reps in \u2014 and worked their tails off getting through. We had a little bit of heat today, [so] I thought the effort was definitely there. The \u2018ones\u2019 got a lot of reps, in particular.\u201d<\/p>\n
But will they get a lot of work on Saturday? Reid announced his usual plan for the preseason opener: the first string (including quarterback Patrick Mahomes) for the first quarter, Gardner Minshew leading the second string in the second quarter, Bailey Zappe taking over in the third and Chris Oladokun closing out the contest in the fourth.<\/p>\n
Of course, it rarely works out exactly that way. More often, the starters are only in for a drive or two. In the team\u2019s 26-13 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in last year\u2019s preseason opener, even the starting offensive linemen (including rookie Kingsley Suamataia, who began the game at left tackle) were pulled after just four plays; usually, they stay in for most of the quarter. When Suamataia was outclassed in the first games of the regular season, this didn\u2019t look like a smart move. But in fairness to Reid, he had just watched his free-agent wide receiver Hollywood Brown \u2014 who was expected to shoulder the bulk of the offensive load in 2024 \u2014 be knocked out of the game on the very first play.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, we\u2019ll see,\u201d said Reid about the possibility of keeping the starters in the game for longer than usual. \u201cWe\u2019ll see how it goes. I\u2019ll play that by ear \u2014 but you know, probably not more than a quarter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Will that be enough for Josh Simmons, who is this season\u2019s rookie left tackle? Or for Suamataia, who will probably be the starting left guard against the Chargers in Week 1?<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, you know, you\u2019d like us to do well,\u201d said Reid, \u201cbut I know we have other preseason games \u2014 to answer your question, if I\u2019m going to be truthful about it. So [they need to] go out and do the best [they] can. I\u2019m going to keep the numbers down for the first game. And then we\u2019ll see about the second game.\u201d<\/p>\n
After all, these games are mostly about the rookies, right? It\u2019s their chance to show the coaches \u2014 and the world \u2014 what they might be able to do in the NFL.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important that they get in now,\u201d Reid observed. \u201cThey\u2019re in front of some bright lights, and it takes it up one more notch. [It\u2019s] not quite the season, but they\u2019re still in front of a big crowd \u2014 and, I guess, another team \u2014 so their adrenaline level gets pushed to another level. Let\u2019s see how [they] do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mahomes thinks they\u2019ll be ready.<\/p>\n
\u201cCoach Reid prepares us better than anybody else in the league to go out there and play [our] best football,\u201d said the quarterback. \u201cThat\u2019s because we practice hard [and] we practice fast. So when you get to the game, it\u2019s not that huge step up. It\u2019s a step up, for sure, but it\u2019s not that huge step up.\u201c<\/p>\n
Mahomes believes that for the young players, it\u2019s just a matter of continuing to do what they\u2019ve been doing.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo out there like you practice,\u201d he advises them, \u201chave the right mindset and just play fast. Let the rest handle itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Returned to practice: CB Kristian Fulton, LB Drue TranquillOut of practice (due to injury): TE Jake Briningstool (out with hamstring since 7\/26), WR Hollywood Brown (out with ankle since 7\/30), LB Cam Jones (out with illness since 8\/6) WR Rashee Rice (out with groin since 8\/6)Left practice early (due to injury): N\/ANon-football injury (NFI) list: DL BJ ThompsonPhysically unable to perform (PUP) list: N\/A<\/p>\n
As always, I compiled all of Thursday\u2019s posts here<\/a>. Here is the post of the day:<\/p>\n Andy Reid on why he participated in the new ESPN series, \u201cThe Kingdom\u201d: \u201cWell, our owner asked me to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n The team will not have another public practice until Monday at 10:15 a.m. (That\u2019s an hour later than usual). Following the practice, head coach Andy Reid will once again address the media, while wide receivers and tight ends sign autographs. The team\u2019s final public practices will be on Tuesday and Wednesday.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the complete 2025 training camp schedule<\/a>.<\/p>\n