After missing considerable time with a hamstring injury to start training camp, third-year receiver Junior Hemingway made an impact during practice Wednesday morning.
Working in 11-on-11 drills with the first-team offense, the 6-foot-1, 225-pound Hemingway made consecutive contested receptions out of the slot in the two-minute drill from quarterback Alex Smith.
The first of these three consecutive receptions was on a quick-read where nickel back Chris Owens came on the blitz. Hemingway and Smith were on the same page and the quick slant resulted in a seven-yard gain.
Another receiver who has been recently making plays at camp has been veteran Kyle Williams, who is coming back from a knee injury suffered last season.
Williams made several catches deep down the field where he was able to create separation vertically.
Chiefs receivers coach David Culley spoke of Williams after practice.
"We knew when he came here that he was very good on the inside," Culley said. "He knew how to run the slot. He's a very good route runner in there [and] he knows how to uncover—he's got a good feel for it.
"Now, since the operation, he has started to get back to where he was physically—where he wasn't earlier in the camp. You can kind of tell he's starting to loosen up a little bit and he's starting to make some plays now."
Safety Eric Berry missed his second-consecutive practice as he deals with heel tendinitis. If Berry isn't able to play on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, rookie Daniel Sorensen might be in line to take his starting spot again. Sorensen started for Berry in the opener against the Bengals.
Anyone who has had the opportunity to come out to training camp has been able to see and hear running backs coach Eric Bieniemy work with his group.
He's not a hard person to find as he's always audible from anywhere around the two fields used during training camp.
Bieniemy spoke with the media after practice and talked about the opportunity to work with coach Andy Reid, whom he played for during his career with the Philadelphia Eagles.
"I've learned more football over the past year from coach Reid and coach (Doug) Pederson—from just sitting in meetings, absorbing information and taking notes than I have in all my years of coaching," Bieniemy said.
Getting on the field for some extra work before practice began Wednesday morning, rookie De'Anthony Thomas spent some 1-on-1 time with Bieniemy.
Bieniemy spoke about Thomas after practice on Wednesday.
"He wants to be great at everything he does," Bieniemy said. "He doesn't shy away from anything."
The Chiefs final practice of training camp will begin at 8:15 a.m. on Thursday morning.
Practice bits:
• Did not practice: DB Eric Berry (heel), DL Kona Schwenke (shoulder), DL Mike DeVito (hand), DB Damond Smith (abductor), TE Richard Gordon (excused), FB Anthony Sherman (baby), LB Josh Mauga (groin) and DL Mike Catapano (illness)
• Veteran kicker Ryan Succop returned to practice on Wednesday and kicked several 40 yard field goals. Succop had missed the last few days of practice (groin).
