By MATT PIKE
Looming storms threatened to move practice indoors, but they held off as the Kansas City Chiefs officially kicked off Training Camp at Missouri Western State University on the Mosaic Life Care practice fields.
The Chiefs practiced for just under two hours on an overcast Wednesday, in front of season ticket holders to start camp. Fans were energetic and excited to have the Chiefs back in St. Joseph and for the start of a new football season to be just around the corner. Players also seemed excited bo be back in St. Joseph, celebrating with fans coming down the hill, exchanging high fives with some, and signing autographs following practice.
Back in St. Joseph for a 14th season is Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who often calls MoWest his sanctuary. After thoughts veteran tight end might retire this offseason, Kelce signed a new three year deal in March, saying on his podcast that his new wife Taylor Swift encouraged him to return for another season.
Head Coach Andy Reid says it means a lot to have a great leader like Kelce on the field, with a lot of young talent on this Chiefs roster.
"He works so hard and he wants to be in there," Reid tells reporters after practice. "For a young guy to look at that, it's hard for them to make an excuse to take a rep off, because he's out there going and if they try to get sneaky he yanks them back in there and makes them go, so that's always good to have."
Chiefs fans during practice also got a look at the brand new running back group, led by last year's Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III. The Chiefs brought in a whole new group of runners this year, seeking a spark in the running game after ranking near the bottom of the league last season in rushing.
With Walker, a member of the Seahawks rushing group that ranked 10th in the league last season, along with returning offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy who led the Chicago Bears to the third best rushing attack last season, the Chiefs hope for far better results.
Coming off a Super Bowl and to a team that missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014, Walker says he can feel this team is hungry to win.
"They want to win, and they've won many Super Bowls before, " Walker says. "So, you definitely see the work ethic that's going on around here, everybody wants to compete and win, and we'll go out there and see how we play this season."
Walker leads a new look running back room that also has Emari Demarcado and rookie Emmett Johson, as well as the lone returner Brashard Smith. Along with a new look to the running back room, there was also a lot of turnaround on the defensive side of the ball.
The Chiefs lost the likes of Leo Chenal, Jaylen Watson, and Bryan Cook to free agency this offseason, and traded Trent McDuffie. Now they look to replace them with players such as Alohi Gilman, Mansoor Delane, and Khyris Tonga.
With a lot of young faces on the defense as well, linebacker Nick Bolton says there have been a lot of veterans stepping up to make sure they are ready
"Having some vet guys that have been there helps me out along the way, helps Spags out relaying information, and obviously we're just laying the ground work right now trying to lay the foundation and give us a chance to compete," Bolton says. "I think the young guys did a good job during OTA's of absorbing knowledge, retaining it, and coming out here on the very first day minimizing mental errors and going out there and excecuting the gameplan."
Bolton says one guy will not be able to replace the energy a player lke Chenal brought, but its important to make sure this young group is ready for Sundays.
In injury news, Reid reported that both defensive end Ethan Downs and tight end John Michael Gyllenborg were placed on injured reserve with knee injuries. Downs suffered his injury during the rookie portion of Training Camp. Rashee Rice and L'Jarius Sneed did leave practice early, however Reid says it was part of a planned ramp up. Rice underwent a knee cleanup procedure to prepare for the 2026 season while Sneed has a history of knee issues, so Kansas City is managing him just as they did previously when he was with the team in 2023.
Chiefs are back on the field tomorrow at 9:15am. Practice will be open to the public.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.