The Chiefs finally got to put on the pads Monday, and that changed the feel of practice immediately.
For players, it was the first chance to go from controlled work to something that looked and sounded a lot closer to football. Defensive end George Karlaftis put it plainly: “It’s as real as it gets.”
Guard Trey Smith said the difference was obvious once Kansas City moved into full pads at Missouri Western.
“Most definitely,” Smith said. “You have a high rate of speed, a little more violent game. It’s easier to simulate things when you have shells on or just jerseys and shorts.
“But now we actually have something to grab on. We can actually hit, utilize force and go full bore at it.”
Monday was the first padded practice since the Chiefs finished last season with a loss at the Las Vegas Raiders on Jan. 4, a defeat that closed out Andy Reid’s worst year in Kansas City at 6-11. Everything since then - minicamp, OTAs and the non-contact work at Missouri Western - had been about building the base.
That hasn’t meant a spotless camp. Wide receivers Xavier Worthy and Cyrus Allen are both coming back from training camp injuries, and rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane, the team’s top draft pick, is also working back. Defensive end Ashton Gillotte is rehabbing a hamstring injury, while Ethan Downs, who had been climbing the depth chart, suffered a torn ACL.
There were no injuries reported from Monday’s session.
Once the contact started, the evaluations got more meaningful. One player who drew attention in drills was rookie defensive tackle Peter Woods, and Smith didn’t hide how highly he thinks of him.
“Peter’s really talented,” Smith said. “Sky’s the limit for him in terms of his hand utilization, speed, power - he’s really sort of the full package type of guy.”
Padded work also matters for jobs that are still up for grabs, including right tackle. As recently as Friday, Reid said the team needed those kinds of practices to help sort out players like Jaylon Moore and rookie free agent Kahlil Benson.
“Can you pound through those two-and-a-half hour practices in the heat with pads on?” Reid said. “We’ll see how he does.”
On Monday, Moore and Benson split the snaps.
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