St. Joseph
On Friday, the Kansas City Chiefs held their third full-squad practice of training camp. The ramp-up continued, with the workout spanning an hour and 55 minutes.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said the team will have one more ramp-up day Saturday before the club puts the pads on Monday.
Battle watch: A leg up for Kahlil Benson?
Friday marked the second straight day undrafted free agent Kahlil Benson earned the starting reps at right tackle. There had been some thought that Esa Pole might be next in the rotation after Jaylon Moore worked there the first day, but that was not the case.
Head coach Andy Reid’s post-practice comments on right tackle may have quietly narrowed what was once thought to be a three-man competition.
“(Benson) and Moore have kind of rotated through that,” Reid said. “(Benson’s) done a nice job. He’s learning. Very strong, powerful, good feet, good athletic ability — and is working at the consistency part scheme-wise. So, physically, he’s got all the tools there. He’ll just keep working at it, and we’ll see where it goes. But he has a lot of talent there.”
With Benson at first-team right tackle Thursday, Moore worked as the second-team left tackle, with Pole on the right. They swapped spots with the second team on Friday.
The early-practice cornerback rotation mirrored what we saw Thursday. First up, Mansoor Delane and L’Jarius Sneed were outside, with Chris Roland-Wallace inside at nickel. Once Sneed left after the initial period, Delane and Nohl Williams were the primary outside cornerbacks the rest of practice.
An interesting note: During one portion of practice, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo pulled Delane aside for some one-on-one instruction. When that happened, Melvin Smith — not Kristian Fulton — took his place.
Over the first three days, Jeff Bassa, Jack Cochrane and Cooper McDonald rotated in with the first team at linebacker as the Chiefs continue to search for a replacement for Leo Chenal.
“There’s a lot of competition in the room,” linebacker Drue Tranquill said. “That SAM linebacker spot with Leo leaving, guys are competing for reps there, and guys just continue to compete across the board.”
Cyrus Allen continues his blazing start
The Chiefs went right into an 11-on-11 blitz period Friday, and once again, rookie fifth-round wide receiver Cyrus Allen set the tone.
Benson may have jumped, but fortunately for Allen, there were no officials to blow the play dead as he made a spectacular one-handed catch on a pass Patrick Mahomes threaded between three defenders.
It was the first of five team-period catches on the day for Allen, which also included a tough catch near the sideline in 7-on-7 with Williams playing tight coverage and a streak for a long touchdown in 11-on-11 where he simply beat Delane off the line of scrimmage.
“He’s done a nice job,” Reid said of Allen. “The quarterback trusts him. This is Cyrus we’re talking about. The quarterback trusts him in there. He’s got to clean some things up, but he’s willing to work at it and do that. So he’s had a productive two days. You got to keep stacking those as you go, and then you got to get the pads on, and we’ll see from there.”
Reid is typically measured with his praise — especially early in camp — so even this brief endorsement of Allen is notable.
Other team-period notes
With the second team in the same period, running back Brashard Smith caught a quick pass from Justin Fields and juked a defender, triggering a collective gasp from the crowd.
Later in 11-on-11, Travis Kelce leaked out and Mahomes floated a pass in open space, leading to that pretty, all-too-familiar connection we’ve watched since 2018. On one play, rookie running back Emmett Johnson whiffed on pass protection, which led to a side conversation with Reid.
Mahomes concluded the practice with a deep pass down the left sideline to wide receiver Tyquan Thornton, who beat Delane and safety Chamarri Conner. Second-year player Jimmy Holiday did a stellar job tracking a deep pass down the right sideline for Fields’ final throw of the workout.
Earlier in practice during 7-on-7, running back Kenneth Walker caught a pass in the left flat, leading to a thump from Tranquill. After the play, Walker threw the ball at Tranquill’s back, but it didn’t lead to a greater confrontation.
In the red zone, Roland-Wallace and Delane broke up Mahomes passes on back-to-back plays.
Wide receiver Xavier Loyd elevated to make an impressive catch from Fields. Fields also hit Nikko Remigio for a long touchdown between Fulton and Nwankpa.
It was a big moment for Remigio, who spiked the ball in front of the crowd to celebrate the score. From my view, Fields is beginning to settle in as camp carries on.
Run-period rotation
With the first team led by Mahomes, Walker was up first for two rushes, followed by Smith for two and Emari Demercado for one. Walker had two more rushes before a screen to Xavier Worthy.
With the second team, Demercado handled the first two carries before Johnson’s lone rep of the period. Kansas City ran a QB keeper with Fields before the third team came on the field.
After a fumbled snap by rookie Garrett Nussmeier, practice squad hopefuls Jadyn Ott and EJ Smith each had a carry as the period came to a close.
Field-goal session
Kicker Harrison Butker made his first seven kicks, including a 56-yarder, before coming up short on a 64-yard try. Remigio collected the ball in the end zone and ran it up the field to simulate an in-game situation.
Target practice: Mahomes in 7-on-7, 11-on-11
Mahomes in 7-on-7: running back Kenneth Walker (5), wide receiver Cyrus Allen (2), tight end Travis Kelce (2), wide receiver Jalen Royals (2), wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (2), wide receiver Xavier Worthy
Mahomes in 11-on-11: wide receiver Cyrus Allen (5), tight end Travis Kelce (3), wide receiver Xavier Worthy (3), running back Kenneth Walker (2), wide receiver Andrew Armstrong, tight end Noah Gray, wide receiver Jalen Royals, wide receiver Tyquan Thornton
Injury report
Defensive end Ashton Gillotte left practice early due to a hamstring injury. Here is Friday’s full injury roundup.
This story was originally published July 31, 2026 at 3:21 PM.
Related Stories from Kansas City Star
Pete Sweeney
The Kansas City Star
Pete Sweeney is The Star’s Kansas City Chiefs insider and beat writer. He has covered the team since 2014.
