KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Chiefs wrapped up the first week of organized activities (OTAs) the same way the first day began with a rotation on the offensive line.
Chiefs tackle Donald Stephenson (79) waits for a play to start during the second half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts at Arrowhead Stadium on Dec. 22, 2013 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga, File)
Donald Stephenson, who began the first OTA with the first-team offense at right tackle, moved to left tackle Thursday in place of Eric Fisher, who ran with the second team.
But the switching of personnel shouldn’t come as a big surprise when considering coach Andy Reid mentioned on the first day of OTAs the team would rotate players along the offensive line.
And Reid reinforced that point after Thursday’s practice.
“That’s the only way you can get Donald some reps there,” Reid said. “We want to make sure we’ve got everybody covered.”
The Chiefs must also identify a swing tackle in addition to settling on a starting five on the offensive line before the start of the regular season.
The 6-6, 312-pound Stephenson, who enters the final year of his contract, is a prime candidate after starting seven games (three at right tackle, four at left tackle) in 2013.
Stephenson projected as the starting right tackle in 2014 before serving a four-game suspension to start the season. And he is arguably the most experienced player currently on the roster outside of Fisher at the tackle position in Reid’s offensive system.
As for Fisher running with the second team, Reid offered caution to not overthink the rotation.
“Actually, Fish(er) has done a very nice job, so I wouldn’t read anything into that,” Reid said. “We’re staying consistent moving people around.”
The Chiefs return to the practice field for the second set of OTAs on June 2-4.
BRAY RECOVERING
Backup quarterback Tyler Bray took to Instagam on Wednesday to post an update and video on his recovery from a January ACL surgery, stating: “Finally reached 100%. Ran for 4 minutes which isn’t long, but it’s a start.”
While Bray is running less than six months following surgery, Reid didn’t declare the second-year quarterback as being 100 percent healthy.
“When he was here the last time, he wasn’t quite up to that,” Reid said. “But he was getting close, and that’s a good thing. He’s obviously not ready to go or he’d be here, but he is recovering.”
The Chiefs have a little less than two months before the start of training camp, but whether Bray will be ready remains to be seen.
“We’ll see on that,” Reid said. “I don’t have enough information for you on that right now, but we’ll see how it goes. He’s on schedule. That’s where we felt he was coming back here when he was back those couple of days.”
