Who stood out most at Kansas City Chiefs camp? Here’s Patrick Mahomes’ answer

Patrick Mahomes, having completed Kansas City Chiefs training camp Thursday, was asked about standouts from the team’s 17 days of full-team practices.

The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback had one name come to mind first.

“Chris Jones,” Mahomes said. “He was dominant.”

So what did the seventh-year defensive end Jones do to impress Mahomes?

“From what I saw, it was the run and the pass,” Mahomes said. “He was down there dominating stuff, making tackles on run game just as much as he was getting to the quarterback and getting around me, affecting how I threw the ball.”

Jones wasn’t the only one who impressed Mahomes while on Missouri Western’s campus.

The quarterback also said he was pleased with a few of his receiving targets. That included second-year tight ends Noah Gray and Jody Fortson, with the latter flashing before he suffered a quad injury on July 30 and also after he returned to practice on August 11.

Both join Blake Bell and seven-time Pro Bowler Travis Kelce to make up one of the Chiefs’ deepest position groups.

“A lot of guys had great camps out here,” Mahomes said. “And I mean, you expect guys like Chris, Travis, all of them to have great camps, but seeing other guys have great camps is always a good thing.”

Overall, Mahomes said he believed the team took a “giant step” with its progress during training camp.

“Coach (Andy) Reid runs a tough training camp. It’s kind of what we’ve been known for. I think it makes us better for it,” Mahomes said. “And I think guys, as we went on, understood that, and they came out with the mindset they were gonna compete every single day. And I think you saw: You saw offense have good days. You saw defense have good days. And that’s usually a good sign for a good football team.”

Reid said Mahomes and the first-teamers are scheduled to play about a half during Saturday’s home preseason game against Washington. The Chiefs are expected to be without a pair of their top wideouts in JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) and Mecole Hardman (groin), who both missed practices this week.

KC’s offense was efficient in its one drive against Chicago in the preseason opener, as Mahomes threw for 60 yards and engineered a 72-yard touchdown drive on the team’s first possession.

Mahomes said his goal Saturday at Arrowhead was to experience some similar success.

“Hopefully, you get at least one touchdown in there,” Mahomes said. “I mean, our goal is to score every time we’re on the field, every opportunity that Coach Reid gives me. But you want to be in and out the huddle the right way, moving the ball and executing the offense.”

Mahomes also spoke about another objective he had this weekend, opening Thursday’s press conference with an admission his longer, disheveled hair was the result of “camp days.”

“I gave my headband away. That usually kind of hides it,” Mahomes said with a smile. “So a haircut’s coming soon.”