Arrowhead Pride
We’re over a month away from the Kansas City Chiefs‘ training camp opening, when fans can finally get their own eyes on this year’s team. Up to that point, Chiefs Kingdom relies on the reporting of credentialed media who observed offseason practices.
For ESPN, Chiefs reporter Nate Taylor has shared plenty of notes based on his observations over the last month. Last week, he named an under-the-radar rookie, zoning in on a fan favorite among the undrafted free agents.
Who is an under-the-radar rookie to watch in training camp/preseason?
Wide receiver Jeff Caldwell. Although he went undrafted, he was the most sought-after prospect that the Chiefs were able to add to their roster. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, Caldwell is the biggest receiver on their roster.
With a strong training camp and preseason — displaying physicality at the line of scrimmage, impressive contested catches and quality speed — Caldwell might be able to earn a roster spot. Helping make the case for him are the plethora of questions on the depth chart behind the trio of Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton.
Eerily similar to the way former Chiefs wideout Justyn Ross was described during his own preseason hype, Caldwell has a differentiating size in the receiver room. According to Taylor, he has shown the strong ball-winning skill set that Kansas City rarely features in the pass game, but those talents have felt more necessary in recent seasons as NFL defenses’ pass coverage has tightened.
As far as a surprise player, Taylor named a player who went from signing with the team after a minicamp tryout to being in the mix for the starting lineup, according to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
RT Kahlil Benson
While quarterback Patrick Mahomes continues to recover from his knee injury, the surprising player who has emerged the most is Benson, an undrafted rookie from Indiana who will be competing in training camp against veteran Jaylon Moore for the starting role. Benson shared repetitions with Moore during the Chiefs’ mandatory minicamp. With Benson’s rise up the depth chart, the Chiefs were comfortable earlier this month with trading Wanya Morris to the Atlanta Falcons. — Nate Taylor
Unlike Caldwell, who can showcase his skills more easily during non-padded practices, Benson will draw a much more critical eye from coaches and fans once the pads are on in training camp. He is definitely the surprise player of the offseason, but he will need to continue defying expectations day after day in the heat of St. Joseph, Missouri.
