How are Chiefs WRs Justyn Ross & Rashee Rice looking at camp? Matt Nagy’s impressions

Matt Nagy is curious just like Chiefs fans are.

The team’s new offensive coordinator said Wednesday that he’s eager to get through the next few weeks of practices to see who emerges at receiver.

“I think it’s gonna be fun this preseason,” Nagy said, “to see the amount of players and competition we have in that room.”

So what are his impressions through training camp at Missouri Western so far?

It’s important to start with the caveats. Kansas City has only gone through four full-squad workouts, and pads come on for the first time beginning with Friday’s practice.

Those realities, though, didn’t stop Nagy from praising Richie James after he was asked about him Wednesday, as he said the free-agent addition was “doing well” thus far.

“He’s been around a little bit,” Nagy said. “Some of these wideouts, you know when they have a feel and they know the timing with the quarterback. They understand the defense. They know when to speed up their route. They know when to slow down their route. They know how to play in zone. He’s got that.”

This camp also has included plenty of first-team reps for Justyn Ross, a second-year player who sat out last season following foot surgery. Nagy said Ross remaining around the team facility and in meeting rooms a year ago allowed the Chiefs to treat his first year almost like a redshirt season.

Nagy specifically mentioned Ross being a bigger receiver (he’s listed at 6 foot 4) but said if you watch the wideout closely, one of his greatest attributes is his route running.

“Now physically coming out here and doing what we said (in film sessions) is learning his timing,” Nagy said. “For Pat (Mahomes) to understand how he runs routes, and for him to understand how to run the routes. It’s gonna be immense growth for him in a good way.”

Nagy likened Ross’ situation to Skyy Moore’s last year, when Moore was a rookie. He said because Moore was learning the offense and how Mahomes liked routes to be run, he had a lot coming at him on gameday.

That means — many times — it was hard for Moore to play fast.

Nagy says he’s seen a much more comfortable Moore to this point in camp, and the hope is Ross continues on that trajectory.

Which leads to another player Nagy is interested in seeing more: rookie receiver Rashee Rice. The second-round pick out of SMU, Nagy explained, is also having to learn new procedures even when he’s not running routes.

“For Rashee coming in here, he comes from a no-huddle offense, but yet, it’s a little bit different with the tempo of hearing now a huddle play, getting to the line of scrimmage, running your route, having conversions with it and yet being on time, jogging back and doing it again,” Nagy said. “He came back in phenomenal shape here to this training camp. And I think every day he’s made incremental improvements.”

Nagy compared what Rice is going through in camp with learning the offense to “drinking through a fire hydrant.” It’s why even small gains for him each day are worth appreciating.

“It’s exciting for us,” Nagy said, “because the sky is the roof with his talent.”

One player who won’t get an on-field look in training camp is Kadarius Toney; coach Andy Reid announced Tuesday that Toney would miss a few weeks following knee surgery, though the hope is still that he might return for Week 1.

Nagy said Toney, by not being on the field in training camp, would mostly miss out on getting his timing down and gaining more experience with Mahomes.

“But we were able to get some of that in OTAs (organized team activities in summer). And for Kadarius, his mindset coming in — I know it was quick — but (he came) in here that first day, those first couple meetings, (and) (was) locked in with the stuff,” Nagy said. “We’ll get him back, get him healthy and get ready to rock and roll.”

Overall, Nagy said he was enjoying camp after returning as offensive coordinator. He served that role for the Chiefs from 2016-17 before becoming the Chicago Bears’ coach for four seasons.

He came back to the Chiefs as quarterbacks coach a season ago before getting promoted after Eric Bieniemy was hired as Washington’s new OC.

Nagy characterized his last two weeks at camp as “really fun.”

“I think it’s an amazing setup here,” Nagy said. “The fans are great. The people are great, (and) the players come in with a great mindset.”