Patrick Mahomes isn’t wasting time. Any of it.
On Tuesday morning at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Mahomes put his entire repertoire on display for the fans. And much of it had nothing to do with his right arm.
During red zone drills, Mahomes completed a short out route to Richie James. Afterward, Mahomes began frantically signaling for the offense to get in place so he could clock the ball. In the ensuing seconds, second-year receiver Skyy Moore left the huddle to be replaced by rookie wideout Rashee Rice.
It appeared Rice was a touch late realizing he was supposed to be in, causing Mahomes to gesture somewhat annoyedly. The next play, Mahomes found Rice on a skinny post for a touchdown, ran over to him and excitedly tapped his helmet.
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In a matter of less than one minute, what makes Mahomes uniquely great was on full display.
Awareness, urgency, leadership … and a cannon off his right shoulder.
Going into his seventh year—sixth as a starter—Mahomes could be forgiven if training camp was more about the motions than anything else. He’s a two-time MVP, two-time Super Bowl champion and two-time Super Bowl MVP. The only other players across league history who can claim those accolades are Joe Montana and Tom Brady. And Mahomes is only 27 years old.
Last year, many believed Mahomes would see a downtick in numbers after the Chiefs sent All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins for five draft picks. Instead, Mahomes worked in four new receivers, including Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Justin Watson, Kadarius Toney and Moore, while managing to reach a career-high 5,250 passing yards.
In the postseason, Mahomes played almost all three of Kansas City’s games on a high ankle sprain, totaling 703 passing yards and seven touchdowns with zero interceptions. He completed 72% of his attempts with a 114.7 passer rating.
Despite it all, nobody was more locked in throughout the sunny morning at St. Joseph. Mahomes was his typical self, throwing only one incompletion during red zone drills, a part of practice typically tough on the offense.
Toward the end of practice, the Chiefs ran a drill in which the offense is backed up inside its 5-yard line and is challenged to move the ball. The first team moved with ease before giving way to the backups. Most of the team went to the sideline. Mahomes stood hands on knees from the end line, watching as though he was coaching.
The takeaway is simple: Mahomes is invested. It’s his show. It’s his legacy on the line.
Even in a training camp practice nobody will remember, there’s no time to waste.
Best thing I saw: Travis Kelce is 33 years old, but his legs are young.
During the latter half of Tuesday’s practice, the Chiefs broke into 11-on-11 drills. Working near midfield, Mahomes took a deep drop and was under pressure from second-year defensive end George Karlaftis, who may have had a sack if Mahomes was eligible for contact.
Regardless, Mahomes launched a pass for Kelce, who was running a corner route about 25 yards downfield. Despite tight coverage from corner Trent McDuffie and safety Bryan Cook, Kelce leaped and snagged the ball, exhorting the crowd afterward.
Kelce has recorded seven consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, three more than any other tight end in NFL history. Don’t bet against an eighth.
Best thing I heard: Andy Reid talking about James and a few other notables.
“He’s been working in with Pat in the practices,” Reid said. “We were trying to get some of the young guys some reps. We have a pretty good feel for him; he’s a good player. We have some good tape in this offense of him. We had some more emphasis on [Rice] and [Justyn Ross] to get them in the game, get some work.”
The big question surrounding the Chiefs is what their receiver room will look like after losing Mecole Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster this season. The answer, much as it was last year, is to win by committee.
In Kansas City’s 26–24 loss to the Saints on Sunday in its preseason opener, James and Ross each caught touchdowns, while Rice hauled in three passes for 30 yards on four targets.
While James and Rice are locks for the 53-man roster, Ross is trying to earn a spot after going undrafted in 2022 and then spending the season on injured reserve with a foot injury. If he makes the team, there’s a chance Kansas City goes with seven receivers for the first time in Reid’s tenure dating back to ’13.
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Rookie who impressed: Rashee Rice, WR. For the second consecutive year, Kansas City selected a receiver in the second round. This spring, Rice heard his name called by the Chiefs, and although rookies typically don’t have a big role in Reid’s offense, Rice could break the proverbial mold.
Splitting time between first- and second-team reps, Rice was impossible to miss at Chiefs camp. At 6'1" and 204 pounds, Rice won a bevy of different routes ranging from slants and quick outs to skinny posts.
On one red-zone snap, Mahomes took a quick, three-step drop and fired the ball across the middle into tight coverage, with Rice snaring it for a touchdown. Whether it was Mahomes under center, or his backups in Blaine Gabbert and Shane Buechele, Rice was targeted often.
It won’t be easy finding so many targets come the regular season on what has become a jammed depth chart, but Rice has been making a case for playing time.
Veteran who impressed: Bryan Cook, S. Cook has been a constant positive throughout camp, and he showed why Tuesday morning.
In 7-on-7 drills, Cook displayed his athleticism to break up a pass from Mahomes, getting across from outside the hash marks to knock the ball away from Moore. Moore was running a deep over and appeared to be open, but Cook’s closing speed—he runs a 4.45 40—was enough to turn a big play into an incompletion.
Last year Cook played only 32% of the defensive snaps. This season, paired with veteran Justin Reid, look for the second–year safety to see a starting role.
Song of the day: “Feels Like the First Time” by Foreigner.
The title was fitting. As mentioned above, the Chiefs might be defending champions, but they don’t act like it. Their tempo is the fastest I’ve seen across my seven-camp tour, and it’s not particularly close.
For Kansas City, the urgency is there even though it has represented the AFC in three of the past four Super Bowls, winning twice.
