ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Since the Chiefs put the pads on for the first time Sunday, one consistent has remained along the offensive line.
Jaylon Moore is the man on the move, “the sixth starter” as Andy Reid has often described in past seasons, the best and most versatile lineman on his bench.
“He’s a good football player, you know, we just have only have five spots,” Reid said after Tuesday’s practice. “So you got to try to move people around and make sure they can do everything.”
Rookie Joshua Simmons has lined up at left tackle, starting each team session. The same for left guard Kingsley Suamataia, center Creed Humphrey, right guard Trey Smith and right tackle Jawaan Taylor. For a team that entered camp with a position battle at left tackle and left guard, those battles appear won with no other battles on the horizon. The line is set.
So why was Jaylon Moore rotating in for Taylor the past two days, and then rotating in for Suamataia on Tuesday?
“He’s working all three of those spots, and really both guards,” Reid said. “So he can do either or. We’re just working. We need everybody.”
Not only are the position battles over, but there doesn’t appear to be much debate about the team’s top eight offensive linemen. Behind the five starters firmly entrenched are the super sub Moore, backup guard Mike Caliendo and No. 2 center Hunter Nourzad. Those will be the eight active on game day. The battle is for the ninth and potentially 10th offensive lineman, with tackles Wanya Morris, Ethan Driskell, Chukwuebuka Godrick and Esa Pole competing along with interior offensive linemen C.J. Hanson and Dalton Cooper.
That competition behind the top eight linemen is fierce, however. Morris and Driskell have rotated at left and right tackle. Godrick is among those who have split time at guard and tackle. Hanson and Cooper have taken both left and right guard reps.
There are five offensive linemen who have taken all of their reps at one position. Three of them — Simmons, Humphrey and Smith — have taken all of the first-team offensive line snaps. Suamataia and Taylor have only shared snaps with Moore.
That says everything about how Reid and offensive line coach Andy Heck view the competition — or lack of competition — along the offensive line.
Injury Report
The Chiefs largely dodged the training camp injury through the first week of camp, but the streak ended Tuesday with four names added to the injury report by the end of the morning practice..
The club started the day with cornerback Eric Scott and safety Deon Bush on the sidelines with hamstring issues, along with rookie linebacker Jeffrey Bassa (ankle). The trio began the day in the training tent along with cornerback Kristian Fulton (knee), cornerback Darius Rush (hamstring) and tight end Jake Briningstool (hamstring).
Tuesday’s injury spate began on the first play of the first team period when receiver Xavier Worthy elevated for a deep ball down the right sideline with cornerback Nazeeh Johnson and safety Bryan Cook in coverage. Worthy hit the ground hard and banged his helmet on the turf. He got to his feet after a few seconds and slowly walked off the field. He remained at practice but did not retake the field.
During the second team period in the red zone, receiver Hollywood Brown pulled up in the end zone and limped off the field. After a brief exam with athletic trainers in the medical tent, Brown headed back to the training facility in a cart. Brown appears to have dodged any serious injury, however, as initially reported by Jordan Schultz. With an off day on Thursday, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the club held Brown out until at least Friday.
Later, wide receiver Skyy Moore and rookie linebacker Cooper McDonald left practice due to illness.
That’s a total of 10 players out of practice by the end of the morning, but it doesn’t appear that Brown or Worthy’s injury will be long-term.
What’s Next?
The Chiefs have a light workout scheduled for 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, followed by an off day on Thursday. The team will be back on Friday with a regular training camp practice starting at 9 a.m.
Wednesday’s practice is expected to be a 10-10-10 practice in which the first team offense and the first team defense run 10 plays each against a scout team. A 10-minute special teams period follows that work. The practice will run approximately 75 minutes.
Tickets are free for most practices, and parking is $7 per vehicle. Tickets and parking passes are available only online and must be reserved in advance.
