The Kansas City Chiefs finished their first week of training camp practice on a high note on Sunday and began their second week of workouts on Monday. While receivers Justyn Ross, Skyy Moore, and Rashee Rice stole the show in Week 1 of camp, others had a quiet start to their preparation for the 2023 season.
The team has only conducted a handful of practices in pads, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Chiefs’ rising offensive stars dominated headlines early in camp. However, now that the team is in their full kit, defensive highlights should start trickling in as Kansas City gears up for their first preseason game next week.
Here are five Chiefs we want to see more from in Week 2 of Kansas City’s 2023 training camp:
DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah
Anudike-Uzomah is among the Chiefs’ most exciting young prospects, but he hasn’t been mentioned much in coverage of training camp so far. His ability to rush the edge for Kansas City’s defense was the object of intense speculation after he was selected in the first round of April’s draft, but as the team practiced without pads last week he failed to stand out at camp.
Nonetheless, Chiefs fans have nothing to fear about his development, as a slow start for defensive linemen is to be expected at training camp. Watch for Anudike-Uzomah to make some plays on the practice field this week to make up for his lack of highlights to this point.
LB Leo Chenal
This second-year linebacker is known for laying the wood on opposing ball carriers, so it wasn’t surprising that he had a quiet start in Kansas City’s non-padded practices. A growing staple in the middle of the Chiefs’ defense, Chenal has all the promise in the world entering his sophomore season in the NFL, and shouldn’t have any trouble adjusting to an expanded role in 2023.
Fans should only hope that he saves his physicality for opponents in the preseason instead of taking his pent-up angst out on teammates at Kansas City’s practices.
DL Keondre Coburn
Coburn was a mid-round pick by Kansas City back in April but faces high expectations as star defender Chris Jones continues his holdout from Chiefs training camp. A space-eating people mover on the defensive line, Coburn could play himself into significant snap-share in Kansas City’s defense with continued effort in training camp.
Though he may fall short of a starting spot if Coburn puts together a modest highlight reel during workouts and the preseason he could see his stock soar heading into the Chiefs’ 2023 regular season campaign.
DE George Karlaftis
Karlaftis is another second-year Chief who was a standout in 2022 but has yet to make a significant impact in training camp. Again, given that Kansas City was practicing without pads through most of last week, it isn’t particularly shocking that Karlaftis didn’t generate many big plays.
But, as the Chiefs ramp up their training for their first preseason game, a highlight or two from the supremely talented edge rusher would be a nice change of pace from the offensively dominated clips coming out of camp.
DL Danny Shelton
Shelton is a wildcard for the Chiefs’ defense and can be seen as a boom-or-bust veteran who could give Kansas City some much-needed stability on the interior of their defensive line. A former first-round pick, Shelton was once a highly regarded blue-chip prospect but is now fighting for his future in the NFL at Chiefs training camp in his ninth season as a professional.
If Shelton can show fans and Kansas City’s coaching staff that he belongs on a Super Bowl-caliber roster, it would go a long way toward solidifying the Chiefs’ front four, especially with the continued absence of Chris Jones looming large over the team’s defense.
