The Kansas City Chiefs held their first padded practice on Wednesday, which means the players were allowed to be a little more physical than they’ve been all off-season.
While the main story coming out of Chiefs Training Camp in St. Joe is the progression of Kansas City’s rehauled offensive line, the coaches will also be looking for improvement from the defense as well.
One group in particular that Kansas City is hoping to improve is its linebacking core. Over the last three seasons, the Chiefs starting linebacker duo of Ben Niemann and Anthony Hitchens has been subpar at best, which opens the door for two youngsters to make a name for themselves ahead of the 2021 season.
One of those players is second-year linebacker Willie Gay, who’s battled all the way back from a torn meniscus he suffered during his rookie campaign. Following Wednesday’s practice, Head Coach Andy Reid told reporters he’s impressed with how far Gay has come to this offseason.
“You know, he stayed up here the whole offseason and worked,” chuckled Reid. ”He’s doing good. I mean, he’s really busted his tail. So it’s refreshing. He’s got such a positive attitude, too.”
Both of Kansas City’s starting linebackers Ben Niemann and Anthony Hitchens have missed multiple practices due to minor injuries, which has afforded Gay and 2021 rookie Nick Bolton the opportunity to spend more time with the starters. Following the team’s first practice with pads, Reid told reporters he’s liked what he’s seen so far.
“I like both of them. I mean, they’re making plays,” said Reid. “I was curious to see how they’d do with the pads on [and] with the running game coming at them, and I thought they did a nice job with that. Good instincts.”
Those instincts helped Gay and Bolton pick off Patrick Mahomes over the last two practice sessions.
“Yeah, it’s good to see those linebackers doing that,” Reid noted. “You’re trying to fit the ball into the tight windows in there and for those guys to react the way they have, I think that does nothing but make us better.”
Although it might not be the biggest storyline to come out of Chiefs camp, the position battle at linebacker will definitely be something to watch.
Kansas City will resume training camp at 9:15 a.m. on Thursday.
