KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Eric Kush finds himself as the last man standing for now.
Kush, who enters his third season, is the lone center currently on the Chiefs’ offseason roster after previous starter Rodney Hudson signed a free-agent contract with the Oakland Raider in March.
Kansas City Chiefs center Eric Kush (64) watches from the bench during the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2013.(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
It would be reasonable to expect the potential of going from a primary backup role to a full-time starter would affect a player’s mentality entering the first day of the offseason workout program, perhaps a hint of excitement.
But that’s not the case for Kush, who revealed he hasn’t changed his routine from the past two seasons.
“There actually is no difference,” Kush said. “Every time you go through this thing you’ve got to prepare like you’re going to start anyway. It takes, like last season, anything could have happened with injuries and stuff like that. So every day, every offseason, even every week through the season you prepare like nothing is different. You’ve got to be ready 24/7.”
Kush said he is happy for Hudson, and had an opportunity to learn from Hudson how to prepare and be a professional.
The 6-foot-4 Kush said he currently weighs 305 pounds and spent the offseason working out with Chiefs strength and conditioning coach Barry Rubin.
The areas Kush concentrated on surrounded strength and athletic ability.
“You take your strengths and make them stronger,” Kush said, “and you take your weaknesses and make strengths. Barry does a great job of preparing you for everything. We go through a total body workout; it’s not just one thing at a time or one thing in an offseason.”
The Chiefs, of course, could add a center through the upcoming draft or sign an undrafted free agent to bolster competition.
Kush, who played collegiately at California University of Pennsylvania, has appeared in three career games with one start since joining the Chiefs as a sixth-round pick in 2013.
Adding a center is an option given the lack of depth and experience at the position, but whether general manager John Dorsey goes that route remains to be seen.
Dorsey said during Friday’s pre-draft press conference the annual player selection process showed there were viable choices “at all levels of the draft” with the center position.
But Dorsey was coy when asked if he felt Kush could open training camp as the starter.
“What you have to do is research everything that’s out there,” Dorsey said. “Right now our efforts are focused on the draft; that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to focus on the prospects within this draft and how they can help the Kansas City Chiefs. And if we deem if it’s one of the top guys, middle guys or lower guys, we’ll make a push to get those guys.”
Kush indicated whatever happens in the coming weeks won’t change how he comes to work ahead of the regular season.
He said his preparations from past seasons already include the mentality that he could start on given game, and this year won’t be different.
“You got to have that mindset anyway,” Kush said. “Anything can happen and if you don’t prepare like that, you could lose your opportunity to even be in the NFL. So every day is a very serious preparation regardless of your position, your standing.”
—–
Herbie Teope is the lead beat writer and reporter for ChiefsDigest.com. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter:
—–
