Catch The Chiefs at Cardinals Saturday on Classic Hits Q-106.7 In Norton
By Matt McMullen – Chiefs.com
The Kansas City Chiefs took the field for the 14th practice of training camp on Thursday morning as the three-time defending AFC champions continued their preparation for the upcoming season.
Here’s a quick rundown of what took place during Thursday’s practice, and for reference, all previous practice reports are below:
7/22 | 7/23 | 7/24 | 7/25 | 7/27 | 7/28 | 7/29 | 7/30 | 8/1 | 8/2 | 8/3 | 8/5 | 8/6
1. Thursday’s practice was exclusive to Season Ticket Members.
Thursday marked the second practice of camp that was exclusive to STMs.
The fans in attendance were treated to another edition of the annual pancake breakfast on the nearby pavilion before a full-team autograph session took place following practice.
2. Wide receiver Xavier Worthy had a great practice.
Worthy continued what was already an excellent camp with another tremendous practice on Thursday morning. The second-year receiver held on to a deep ball as he went to the ground during 11-on-11 drills early in practice, but his top play of the morning took place when he jumped over a defender and hauled in another deep shot way downfield a little bit later.
Often lauded (and rightfully so) for his world-class speed, Worthy showed off both his vertical jumping ability and his strength on the play as he hauled in the pass despite getting simultaneously crunched by two defenders. It was nothing short of one of the top plays of camp so far.
Another player who stood out on Thursday was wide receiver Jason Brownlee, who continued his impressive camp with an acrobatic, physical catch on a contested throw in the back of the end zone during 11-on-11 drills. Brownlee, who spent time with the New York Jets over the last two years, then followed that up with another tough catch on a fade route toward the corner of the end zone. Brownlee made the catch despite tight coverage before getting both feet in-bounds.
On the other side of the ball, rookie linebacker Cooper McDonald jumped a route and picked off a pass during 11-on-11 red zone drills. McDonald later added a pass-breakup on the final scrimmage play of practice. Safety Chamarri Conner also made a standout play when he tallied an athletic pass-breakup on a deep throw during 7-on-7 drills.
3. Cornerback Kristian Fulton returned from the “Physically Unable to Perform” list on Thursday.
Fulton, who missed the first 13 practices of training camp as he recovered from offseason knee surgery, returned to the field in a limited capacity on Thursday morning.
Fulton figures to be a major part of the Chiefs’ secondary in 2025, and while he didn’t participate in team drills on Thursday, his return to the field still marked a significant step forward as the coaching staff eases him back into the swing of things.
4. Head Coach Andy Reid shared a bit of the Chiefs’ plan for Saturday’s preseason opener.
The Chiefs play a football game on Saturday as Kansas City kicks off the preseason with a matchup against the Arizona Cardinals in the desert. In terms of how much quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the starters will play, Coach Reid provided a little insight following Thursday’s practice.
“We’ll [base] it off the quarterbacks. They’ll each get a quarter,” Reid said. “The first one will be Pat, the second will be [quarterback Gardner] Minshew, then [quarterback Bailey] Zappe, then [quarterback] Chris [Oladokun] at the end there. Each one will get a quarter, and then everybody [else] follows that as we go.”
Reid indicated that he’ll keep the starters’ snap counts relatively low as the Chiefs continue their preparation for the upcoming season, but for Kansas City’s youngest players, Thursday’s game represents an opportunity to garner some valuable experience.
“It’s important that they get in. They’re in front of some bright lights, and it takes it up one more notch,” Reid said. “It’s not quite the season, but you’re still in front of a big crowd, and [you’re playing] against another team. Your adrenaline gets pushed to another level, and let’s see how we do.”
5. Here’s a look at Thursday’s injury report.
The Chiefs were without wide receiver Rashee Rice (groin), wide receiver Hollywood Brown (ankle), linebacker Cam Jones and tight end Jake Briningstool (hamstring) due to injury on Thursday. Additionally, tailback Brashard Smith (finger) left practice early, although Coach Reid mentioned that Smith should be OK.
In some good news, linebacker Drue Tranquill returned to practice in a limited capacity after missing some time due to a back injury. Reid also added that Rice’s groin issue appears to be minor.
Next up, the Chiefs will travel to Phoenix on Friday ahead of the preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday at 7 pm CT.
