6 players to watch at Chiefs’ mandatory minicamp
The Kansas City Chiefs kick off their three-day mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.
While practices won’t be open to the public until training camp begins in July, traditionally there tends to be more information coming out of practices beginning around mandatory minicamp. Below you’ll find a quick look at some of the players that you should be keeping an eye on throughout the next three days.
AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
It's been 499 days since Chiefs fans last saw Duvernay-Tardif suit up and play a football game. He opted out of the 2020 NFL season to stay in Canada and help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. He skipped out on voluntary work, but he's officially back in the building for mandatory minicamp. https://twitter.com/Chiefs/status/1404585045487202308 The big question that everyone is wondering about the good doctor: Where does he fit on the Chiefs' rebuilt offensive line? Following the injury to Kyle Long, the Chiefs need someone to step in as a starter. Will Duvernay-Tardif be given that opportunity as the team's former starting right guard in Super Bowl LIV? Or perhaps he'll receive some competition from a standout rookie...
RG Trey Smith
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
So far Smith has looked every bit like the steal he was claimed to be when the Chiefs drafted him in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL draft. He was the first man up last week in OTAs when Kyle Long suffered his injury, playing ahead of veterans like Andrew Wylie and Nick Allegretti who were both in attendance. Chiefs OL coach Andy Heck said during OTAs that Smith has the makings of a future starter. Will the injury to Long speed up the timeline of what Heck meant when he used the word "future." We'll find out how that starting offensive line shakes out soon enough.
DB Devon Key
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Every year there is an undrafted free agent that begins to stand out and separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Last year that player was defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton, but there hasn't been much talk about the crop of undrafted free agents this year. With Juan Thornhill sidelined early on in OTAs and Armani Watts absent from a handful of voluntary practices, UDFA DB Devon Key out of Western Kentucky has seen repetitions with the first-team defense playing a few different roles. Will that persist throughout mandatory minicamp and into training camp? It's worth noting that the only safety under contract beyond 2021 is Juan Thornhill. Finding young talent there could be paramount for Kansas City.
AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
Like Duvernay-Tardif, Ward has been absent from voluntary OTA practices. Unlike Duvernay-Tardif, Ward is basically guaranteed a starting role. He stayed away from voluntary practices, likely in an effort to protect his chances at earning a contract extension either here or somewhere else. He's playing on a one-year RFA contract tender at the second-round level which will earn him over $3.3 million. How will Ward look in the first action he's seen this offseason? How will he handle himself on the field in a contract year? Bashaud Breeland will no longer be playing across from him, so we know he'll have to step his game up to an extent. The foundation for Ward's 2021 season will begin with this minicamp.
TE Noah Gray
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
When Gray was drafted I was skeptical of his ability to contribute right away given the presence of both Blake Bell and Nick Keizer. He's earned some opportunities with the first-team offense during OTAs and has seemingly jumped ahead of those two players. From what I understand, his ability as a pass-catcher is what has really made him stand out from those two veterans. One of the big questions about Gray coming out on the NFL draft was his ability as a blocker. I want to see him in those situations and find out if he's really better than players like Bell and Keizer. We know that Bell was a solid No. 2 tight end blocking in-line during the Chiefs' Super Bowl-winning season. Keizer has proven to be a solid pass-blocker, but that's about all he's proven.
WR Maurice Ffrench
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
The Chiefs added some bodies at the WR position this offseason, be it Daurice Fountain, Antonio Callaway, Dalton Schoen or Cornell Powell. They also have some returning players from the practice squad last year and fans should be curious to see how they've grown in Year 2. One player that hasn't been talked about much is WR Maurice Ffrench who signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent out of Pitt last season. https://twitter.com/MauriceFfrench/status/1403712528740409348 Ffrench is clearly eager to become a contributor and he has the skillset to do so. The best way to win the bottom-of-the-roster WR battle in Kansas City is to stand out on special teams. In college, Ffrench was a deadly return specialist, recording over 500 yards of kick return yardage and two touchdowns as a junior. [listicle id=93909]
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