The Kansas City Chiefs took the field for the sixth practice of training camp on Saturday morning as the defending Super Bowl champions continued their preparation for the upcoming season.
Here's a quick rundown of what took place during Saturday's practice, and for reference, all previous practice reports can be accessed below.
1. The Chiefs took the field for a second consecutive padded practice on Saturday.
Saturday's practice was of the padded variety, marking the second straight day that the Chiefs took the field in pads. It was also a slightly longer session than Friday, clocking in at one hour and 55 minutes.
A sudden storm unfortunately forced the team to move inside midway through practice, but the Chiefs were still able to complete the full session despite the brief interruption.
"Our guys don't flinch. It happens really quick," said Assistant Head Coach / Special Teams Coordinator Dave Toub. "Some guys might change their shoes, but they jump in here and don't miss a beat. They hit the ground running. Nobody [complains]. That's the beauty of our team. We have great leadership…We have a good thing going."
2. Rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice showed off what he can do from behind the line of scrimmage.
Rice, who has impressed so far during training camp, demonstrated his skills as a ball-carrier from behind the line of scrimmage during Saturday's practice. Early in an 11-on-11 period, Rice went in motion and took a quick handoff around the edge for a sizable gain downfield.
The play served as a showcase for Rice's skillset after the catch, which was quite evident throughout his career at SMU. In fact, his 33 receptions on screen passes last season ranked ninth among all players, and his 19 broken tackles ranked 23rd.
Here's more from The Athletic's Dane Brugler, who wrote about Rice's post-catch abilities in his annual draft guide: "Rice catches the ball with yards-after-the-catch in mind."
Chiefs' Assistant General Manager Mike Borgonzi expressed a similar sentiment following Day 2 of the Draft, saying that Rice is like a tailback once he has the football in his hands:
"He's a big kid and he's explosive. He'll go up and get the football, and once catches it, he's violent. He's like a running back after the catch. That's a big part of our offense here."
The Chiefs provided Rice with an opportunity to show off those skills during Saturday's practice, and he delivered.
3. Rookie defensive back Chamarri Conner ripped the ball away for a pass-breakup during 11-on-11 drills.
Conner tallied one of the most impressive plays of the morning with a physical pass-breakup deep down the field during an 11-on-11 period. It initially appeared that the receiver caught the pass, but Conner stuck with the play and ripped the ball free.
In addition to Conner, cornerbacks Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson each recorded a pass-breakup later in practice. Williams punched the ball free from the intended receiver during a 7-on-7 period before Watson successfully defended a comeback route during 11-on-11 drills a bit later.
4. Tight end Travis Kelce and wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling each logged a touchdown catch during a red zone period.
Kelce went up to make a leaping grab in the end zone during an 11-on-11 red zone period on Saturday before Valdes-Scantling made an impressive catch at the front pylon for another score just one snap later.
Red zone was an area of emphasis for both sides of the ball on Saturday.
5. Here's a look at Saturday's injury report.
The players who did not participate in Saturday's practice due to injury or illness were defensive end Mike Danna (calf), tailback Clyde Edwards-Helaire (sick), tight end Jody Fortson (shoulder), cornerback L'Jarius Sneed (knee), linebacker Drue Tranquill (neck), wide receiver Kadarius Toney (knee), linebacker Isaiah Moore (knee) and defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton (knee).
Defensive back Nazeeh Johnson (knee) left Saturday's practice early.
The Chiefs will take the field for the seventh practice of training camp on Sunday morning. For a look at the training camp schedule or for more information on how to reserve tickets, click here.
