Chiefs ramp up intensity at training camp with rookies and quarterbacks

By Calvin Silvers

Kansas City Chiefs’ rookies and quarterbacks were out on the practice fields early Thursday morning for day two of training camp on the campus of Missouri Western. The intensity continued to build in camp as the veterans prepared to enter St. Joseph on Friday, and begin practicing with the team on Sunday.

Until then, the rookies are still getting their feet wet with their first rendition of an Andy Reid training camp, but the confidence is growing.

“Expectations are obviously super high here, so that’s another thing,” rookie tight end Jared Wiley said. “You know, I wake up every morning and I’m like, you can’t have a bad day here because everybody else is going to have a great day.”

That’s the mindset a rookie needs to succeed in the NFL, and he’ll be joining a tight end room that most teams in the league long for with the likes of Travis Kelce, Irv Smith Jr., Noah Gray and others. With sky-high expectations as a Kansas City Chief, the TCU product didn’t even bring a TV; instead, he is studying the playbook.

For him, his goal is to become a complete tight end for the Chiefs, or in simpler terms, another Travis Kelce.

“I feel like I got overlooked a lot with some of these guys who, you know, they don’t want to really get their hands dirty or anything like that,” Wiley said. “You know, I really pride myself on being that complete tight end.”

Another name you may possibly see on that offensive line in the future is center Hunter Nourzad. The rookie mentioned that he wants to soak up all the knowledge he can from his teammate and first-string center Creed Humphrey.

Until the vets can join, Nourzad likes the chemistry being built early.

“It’s not even just the draft picks, the entire offensive line that’s here is very very cohesive,” Nourzad said. “It’s everybody leaning on each other, and I think it’s the room and the culture that has been built here.”

But one rookie has more catching up to do than others, and that’s former rugby player Louis Rees-Zammit. The Welsh professional had two months of practice with pads and a helmet before joining the Chiefs’ offseason duties.

However, getting used to the equipment hasn’t been the biggest difference.

“I think the biggest thing is pad level, you know, not standing upright allowing the defense to get an easy push on you,” Rees-Zammit said. “Everything’s completely different, I mean, it’s a completely different sport.”

With his speed, Rees-Zammit knows how he can make his dream of being on an NFL team come true.

“I know special teams are going to be massive for me. I’ve been working really hard on that with coach Toub and coach Hill,” Rees-Zammit said. “The main way I’m going to make this team is by learning pass protection and be able to be a key role on special teams.”