KC Chiefs coach Andy Reid had this to say about what he’s seen from LT Orlando Brown
Chiefs coach Andy Reid wanted the “fish in the boat” before he addressed left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. signing his franchise tag and reporting for training camp.
With two days of padded practices for Brown in the books, the time is now.
“That’s a big fish,” Reid joked after Wednesday’s practice.
Kidding aside, Reid shared encouraging words about what he’s seen from the three-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman.
“He looks good,” Reid said. “I know he’s been working hard down in Miami. I mentioned that earlier, so kind of keeping tabs on that as he was going, and it looks like it. It looks like he’s in good shape.”
The Chiefs didn’t waste time incorporating Brown into their practice regimen after he reported for camp Monday.
On Tuesday, Brown participated in 11-on-11 drills and one-on-one drills in helmet and pads before walking back up the hill with a trainer shortly before practice ended. He repeated the same process Wednesday during an indoor practice, departing the workout shortly before the final special teams session.
Brown isn’t hurt — the Chiefs are using this week to re-acclimate their starting left tackle to the pace of practice. It’s a cautionary approach because Brown didn’t participate in any facet of the Chiefs’ offseason workout program and missed the first week of training camp after he and the team failed to reach agreement on a long-term contract.
“We’re ramping him up,” Reid said. “So we’re trying to be smart with it the best we can and get him the work he needs, but he’s handled it very well.”
The Chiefs will continue to ease in Brown before letting him go full-speed during practices. And they have the depth at the tackle position to do so.
Roderick Johnson, who opened training camp at left tackle while Brown was absent, has worked with the first-team offense when Brown has left the field over the past two days. The Chiefs also have Geron Christian and rookie Darian Kinnard available as needed.
But ultimately, the left tackle spot belongs to Brown. And the Chiefs are excited he’s back in the mix.
“Good to have him back,” Reid said.
PARTICIPATION REPORT
Rookie wide receiver Skyy Moore, who left Tuesday’s practice with a hip injury, was back to work Wednesday and appeared to participate with no limitations.
Tight end Jody Fortson, who is dealing with a quad injury, missed a third straight day of practice.
Cornerback Rashad Fenton (shoulder), tackle Lucas Niang (knee) and offensive lineman Prince Tega Wanogho (leg) remain on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
Defensive end Carlos Dunlap, whom the Chiefs signed to a one-year deal last week, was expected to arrive in St. Joseph at some point Wednesday. The Chiefs are likely to have Dunlap undergo the same acclimation process as Brown.
“I’m going to talk to him first, and then we’ll get a plan together for him to get started here,” Reid said of Dunlap. “He actually works out at the same place Orlando does (in Miami), so I know he’s in pretty good shape.”
OBSERVATIONS
- Inclement weather forced the Chiefs to move indoors for Wednesday’s practice, which lasted a little more than two hours and focused mostly on the red zone. “I thought the guys handled it well,” Reid said. “It was a red zone day today. We got a lot of work done there, a lot of good competition between the ones against ones, twos versus twos, threes versus threes.”
- Rookie linebacker Leo Chenal made an eye-catching play during a run-oriented team drill. Chenal showed great recognition and streaked through the A-gap, stuffing running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire for a loss.
- Fullback Michael Burton had two impressive blocks. The first occurred during pass-blocking one-on-one drills: Burton stonewalled Chenal before tossing the rookie linebacker to the ground. Later, Burton sealed the right edge with a thunderous block on defensive back Chris Lammons.
- Second-year tight end Noah Gray had an impressive practice, catching virtually everything thrown his way and scoring multiple touchdowns during 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 drills in the red zone. He did have one bad play, though, fumbling when linebacker Willie Gay Jr. punched the ball loose near the line of scrimmage.
- Rookie Skyy Moore hauled in a sliding catch at the back of the end zone, getting himself open for backup quarterback Chad Henne, who scrambled to his left as the pocket collapsed.
- Quarterback Patrick Mahomes made the defense look silly during an 11-on-11 drill with a jumping sidearm throw as the pocket collapsed. Mahomes threw the pass over the defense, connecting with wide receive JuJu Smith-Schuster, who made a diving catch.
This story was originally published August 3, 2022 at 1:46 PM with the headline "KC Chiefs coach Andy Reid had this to say about what he’s seen from LT Orlando Brown."
