The Kansas City Chiefs suffered a disappointing end to a promising 2014 season, but there's still plenty to be excited about with just a few days to go until the 2015 preseason kicks off. Here are three things we've learned about them so far in training camp:
Kansas City counting on Jeremy Maclin to produce
The Kansas City Chiefs signed wideout Jeremy Maclin as an upgrade in head coach Andy Reid's system, hoping to find a receiver that can get into the end zone after no Chiefs receiver caught a single touchdown last year. Last year, Maclin recorded 85 receptions for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns.
"I consider myself to be an all-around receiver, doing a little bit of everything," Maclin said. "Being able to go downfield, run intermediate routes, run show routes -- be able to take 1-yard passes and be able to take them to the house. I'm excited about that."
Quarterback Alex Smith praised Maclin's ability to fit into Kansas City's system, saying he still remembers most of Reid's offense from their time together in Philadelphia.
"You know, he didn't skip a beat coming back into this," Smith said. "He's really smart and sees coverages, and when you go through receivers like that, they can anticipate when the ball is coming and you kind of like that. They know the little adjustments to make."
"We were just getting work in. It was part of what we installed today; me and Alex just happened to hit," Maclin said. "Every day is going to be a different story. We'll continue to go out here and get work in. if it's down the field, it's down the field. If it's anything else, it's anything else. All we can do is go out there and execute the plays that are called."
Rookie corner Marcus Peters is turning heads
Kansas City took a gamble on the troubled but talented Peters in the draft, and it appears that is already paying off. Reid has already moved Peters into the starting lineup and has praised him every step of the way:
“He's playing well,” Reid said. “At this level, you've got to do it every day. You've got to do it in games and you've got to do it every game. That's how you become a good player in this league, so he's got to continue to do that, continue to push himself and challenge himself. He's very, very talented and he wants to be good. He's handling everything the right way. He's a smart kid."
Travis Kelce's progression
Kelce was already one hell of a weapon in 2014, catching 67 passes for 862 yards and 5 touchdowns. However, in order for the aforementioned Smith to ascend into the elite QB stratosphere, Kelce may very well have to up his game even further and assert himself as a top-three or top-five tight end. He's got all the tools to so, and his success in 2015 could go hand in hand with that of the Chiefs' offense as a whole.
Reports out of Chiefs camp indicate that he's stepped up as a leader, which has translated to more production on the practice field - now we have to see if that'll continue to translate to the regular season.
Follow our Kansas City Chiefs team page for all the latest Chiefs news and rumors!
Back to the Kansas City Chiefs Newsfeed