The Kansas City Chiefs took the field for the ninth practice of training camp on Friday 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 Friday's practice, and for reference, all previous practice reports are below:
1. The Chiefs took the field in pads on Friday.
It was a comfortable 64 degrees on Friday morning when the Chiefs hit the field for practice, representing a welcome change of pace following several days of blistering heat earlier in the week.
"They caught a break with the weather today," said Head Coach Andy Reid. "It was nice and cool for them, and they were flying around. It was good to see both sides of the ball making plays. There was great competition going on, and when you do that, you start improving. That's the objective in this thing: get a little bit better every day."
One specific scenario the Chiefs worked through on Friday was a real-world situation in which Kansas City needed to drive the length of the field and score at least a field goal with only one minute and 30 seconds on the clock.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes found tight end Travis Kelce up the seam for a huge gain on the first play of the period before Mahomes connected with tight end Noah Gray for a touchdown a little bit later.
Defensively, cornerback Kevin Knowles made a great play in coverage to break up a pass deep downfield during a later iteration of the drill. Quarterback Bailey Zappe found wide receiver Elijhah Badger for a sizable gain as part of the drill, too.
2. Kansas City signed three new players prior to Friday's practice.
Three new faces took the field on Friday morning in defensive back Ajani Carter, defensive back Azizi Hearn and wide receiver Key'Shawn Smith.
Carter, an undrafted rookie free agent from the University of Houston, tallied 453 total snaps played (360 on defense, 92 on special teams) in 2024. He finished the season tied for the team lead with three pass-breakups, yielding one or fewer receptions in six of his 11 games.
Hearn originally entered the NFL in 2023 as an undrafted free agent signee with the Las Vegas Raiders. He went on to spend time on the Patriots', Panthers' and Giants' practice squads over the last two years.
On the other side of the ball, Smith joins Kansas City after catching 33 passes for 527 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games at SMU in 2024. Smith, who checks in at six-foot-tall and 187 pounds, originally signed with the Raiders after going undrafted this past spring.
In a pair of corresponding moves, the Chiefs waived cornerbacks Darius Rush and Eric Scott with injury designations.
3. The Chiefs' starters took part in a 14-play "long drive drill" on Friday.
Coach Reid ran the first-teamers through a 14-play "long drive drill" on Friday that tested each participant's endurance and knowledge of the playbook.
The period, which sought to simulate the real-world experience of playing in a game, challenged the players with a series of plays one after the other in quick succession while moving down the field. Just like in a real game, substitutions and down time were limited.
Patrick Mahomes made a pair of noteworthy plays during the period, including a throw on the run to wide receiver Rashee Rice and a rocket of a pass to wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster a little bit later.
The defense impressed during the period, too, as linebacker Drue Tranquill hauled in a diving interception over the middle. Defensive tackle Chris Jones then logged an excellent snap a little later in the drill when he blew up a play with a would-be sack through the middle.
4. Linebacker Jeffrey Bassa made a leaping interception during 7-on-7 drills.
Bassa made one of the plays of the day when he tallied a leaping interception over the middle of the field during 7-on-7 drills. It was a welcome sight after the rookie linebacker missed some time earlier this week due to an ankle injury.
Another defensive player who stood out on Friday was cornerback Chris Roland-Wallace, who hauled in an interception deep down the field during 7-on-7 drills.
On offense, tailback Carson Steele made a great catch during the 7-on-7 portion of practice when he went up and made a contested grab amidst tight coverage.
5. Here's a look at Friday's injury report.
The Chiefs were without wide receiver Hollywood Brown (ankle), cornerback Kristian Fulton (knee), tight end Jake Briningstool (hamstring), safety Deon Bush (hamstring) and wide receiver Skyy Moore (hamstring) due to injury on Friday.
Additionally, linebacker Drue Tranquill left practice early due to a back injury.
Coach Reid also provided an update on wide receiver Xavier Worthy:
"It ended up not being a concussion. We had both the NFL and our docs involved with [him] clearing [protocol]," Reid said. "He had a little liquid in his ear, and they took care of that. It was throwing off his equilibrium just a bit."
Next up, the Chiefs will return to the field on Saturday for the 10th practice of training camp. For a look at the training camp schedule or for more information on how to reserve tickets, click here.
