The Kansas City Chiefs continue the summer grind in St. Joseph while players are still practicing without pads, but that won’t be for long. Following the team’s off day on Thursday of this week, players are expected to transition to full pads once they return on Friday to practice.
Switching to pads means slightly upping the physicality for team activities, but also gives more clarity to position battles. One of the most intriguing battles going on for the back-to-back Super Bowl champions is at left tackle. Right now, second-year lineman Wanya Morris and rookie Kingsley Suamataia are the two front runners at the moment to get the left tackle job.
Morris has the edge so far over the rookie from BYU through the first week of camp. Head coach Andy Reid feels the difference will be seen once pads come on. “Once you mix the pass and the run in, that’s what you’ve got to get going here,” Reid said.
“The run is all curved down to where it’s almost just fits, so it’s not quite the same.” Luckily for the Chiefs, the right tackle position is a sure thing with Jawaan Taylor having signed a lengthy and lucrative contract prior to the 2023 regular season. Taylor had some issues, particularly early in the season last year, avoiding penalties for false starts given his alignment so far away from the line of scrimmage and his timing of the snap, which made Taylor one of the most penalized lineman in the league in 2023.
This summer, Tayloy hopes to cut down on those miscues that can cost his team yards. “I’ve been mainly working on bettering myself with penalties and stuff like that, making sure I’m up on the ball and different things like that,” Taylor said. “Other than that, just doing my part and helping the team win games.
” Shoring up the right and left tackle positions for the team is certainly a tell-all that the team has star quarterback Patrick Mahomes’s comfortability in the pocket in their best interest, but will spell success for the run game as well. Third-year running back Isiah Pacheco has separated himself as the lead running back heading into training camp more than ever before. Pacheco has also established himself as an energy player for the team, routinely dancing on the practice field along with fellow running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire while also interacting with fans.
“I'm just me as a person. Every day I come in here, unsatisfied, getting 1% better every day and knowing that I have to find an edge,” Pacheco said. Rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy missed his second consecutive day of practice on Tuesday with an illness.
Reid said following practice on Tuesday that Worthy is “getting better” but not ready to practice yet..
