The Kansas City Chiefs' virtual offseason continued on Friday as rookie tailback Clyde Edwards-Helaire, offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz and kicker Harrison Butker spoke with the media via web call.
Here are five things that stood out from those pressers.
1. Edwards-Helaire was asked about his early impressions of the Chiefs' running back group over the last several weeks as part of the virtual offseason program.
Edwards-Helaire - who tallied 1,414 rushing yards, 16 touchdowns and 55 receptions in 2019 as a member of the LSU Tigers – is joining a group that already includes tailbacks Damien Williams, Darwin Thompson, Darrel Williams, DeAndre Washington and Elijah McGuire.
"It's just like I was in the position that I was in three years ago when I walked into a room that Leonard [Fournette] had just left and included Derrius Guice, Nick Brossette and Darrel Williams, who I'm actually back with now. It was a stacked room and, ultimately, I went in to learn," Edwards-Helaire said. "If you can learn from guys who have experienced the things that you're about to encounter, you can only benefit from that. I'm the young guy in the room – I'm 21 years old – and right now, I'm learning. I'm a rookie, so I'm staying in my place and doing what I need to do."
2. One area in which Edwards-Helaire excels is his elusiveness, which helped him become one of the top running backs in all of college football last season. He spoke about that natural ability during the call and how he's constantly trying to improve it.
"It's something that I was born with, and ever since I've felt that it's a gift that I have, I've always tried to [improve] it, work on it and make it elite," Edwards-Helaire said. "Being quicker and faster than the next person is the name of the game and it's what I've made my game. Being quick and fast in small areas is the way I get open, it's the way I run the ball and it's why I ended up with the Kansas City Chiefs."
Edwards-Helaire averaged 6.68 yards-per-rush and 8.2 yards-per-catch in 2019, routinely showing off his elusive ability while helping LSU to a National Championship.
3. Elsewhere on offense, Schwartz explained how the offensive line group has been handling the virtual offseason meetings.
The players may not be out on the field together, but the cerebral preparation involved in crafting a championship team is still very much underway.
"Coach Heck and Coach Matthaei do a good job of keeping things interactive," Schwartz said. "We don't really do tests, but they'll put up a play and go, 'Mitch this is the play, can you talk us through it?' Usually, they have a good sense of putting something up that maybe needs to be talked through more than a traditional play. They'll go, 'Hey, talk through your specific job on this one, because in this look, a defender might do this or that.' That's just something to kind of work with the rookies on."
4. And in between virtual meetings, Schwartz – an avid cook - has been sharing some of his favorite recipes on social media. He talked more about his culinary exploits on the call.
"It's been awesome…[originally], I just made some dishes and shared some pictures on Instagram and people really liked it, so I did it again the next day and it's grown from there," Schwartz said. "I think the thing that people are struggling with is not seeing co-workers and friends – missing that interaction – so, they're relying more on social media and for me to be able to do this has been a lot of fun. I actually have time to post stuff, respond to people and react. Typically, in a normal environment, I'd be on the go and would just post something, leave it and check back later to see how it did, but now, you can see the people commenting. Some people have particularly strong opinions on what you're making, but for the most part, it's been [positive]. People will say, 'Hey that's awesome, I like to do this,' or, 'Have you tried this?' I'm always looking for a better spice or recipe, so it's definitely been fun and rewarding."
Check out some of Schwartz's recipes on the Chiefs’ YouTube page or by clicking here.
5. Lastly, Butker was asked about his made 77-yard field goal that he posted on Twitter a few weeks ago and how practicing a long kick like that can help him in game situations.
Here's a look at the kick, which Butker made on a local football field.
"The offseason is a time when you can mess around a little bit. Typically, in a normal practice, I'd never go back to that distance," Butker explained. "I think when you get to 77 yards, you're doing some things with your technique to get the ball as far as you can, so it took me a bunch of tries and there was obviously a ton of wind, so I was like, 'Heck, I'm going to see if I can beat my best.' I just kept pushing the ball back and I wasn't very accurate from back there, but I made one and that was pretty fun to do."
Butker later mentioned that he doesn't expect to kick a field goal of that distance in a game, but practicing those long kicks can still help prepare him for real-world situations.
"…We're likely not going to be kicking field goals from that distance in a game, but it's going to help me a lot when it's a 55-yarder with the wind in my face in January," Butker said. "That's kind of what I'm training for, to be able to make those kicks."
Check back next week for additional media availability as the Chiefs continue their virtual offseason program.