Training camp got heated in St. Joseph on Saturday, and Travis Kelce wound up right in the middle of the fireworks.
Kansas City finished Day 10 at Missouri Western State University with its second straight padded practice, and after six straight days on the field, the tempers finally spilled over. Two separate scuffles broke out, forcing Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes to jump in and settle things down.
The first dust-up came after a physical rep between left guard Kingsley Suamataia and defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah. It was the first time this year that punches were thrown during a Chiefs practice.
Suamataia reportedly ripped off Anudike-Uzomah’s helmet and landed a punch, and undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson had to hold FAU back before things got worse. Mahomes and Reid both rushed over, and defensive line coach Joe Cullen eventually pulled Anudike-Uzomah off the field to cool off.
Reporter Farzin Vousoughian caught the confrontation on camera, and the video quickly spread across social media.
The second fight came during Reid’s long drive period, and this one brought Kelce into the middle of the action. Safety Alohi Gilman shoved running back Kenneth Walker III out of bounds after the whistle, and Walker answered by tackling Gilman to the ground. Kelce was one of the veterans who stepped in to separate them, and Walker was sent to the sideline for a few plays to settle down.
Reporter Caleb James also caught that moment on video, captioning the clip simply, “Boys, I’m a K9 guy.”
Mahomes tried to keep the whole thing in perspective afterward. He said the skirmishes were a product of six straight days facing the same teammates, calling it “super competitive on both sides” and adding that a little chippiness is normal this deep into camp.
The physical edge has been a theme all camp, with ESPN’s training camp tracker noting the tone of these sessions as well. And for Kelce, now in his 14th season, Saturday was less about stirring things up and more about helping cool them down, even as retirement talk keeps following him around.
The Chiefs have Sunday off, but with the preseason opener coming up soon, there’s not much time for the tension to fully fade before the pads come back on.
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