Kansas City Chiefs training camp is well underway and several standouts have already turned heads, but one player is not making a strong early impression.
Expectations could not possibly be higher for the Kansas City Chiefs as the franchise comes off of its second Super Bowl victory of the Patrick Mahomes era. But with those expectations, there are also some major changes that the club is having to endure.
The Chiefs are rebuilding the wide receiver corps after the past two offseasons have seen the departures of Tyreek Hill, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman. Chris Jones is holding out of Chiefs training camp as he eyes a deserved new contract. Kansas City is also replacing both of its starting tackles from last year too.
That has put a ton of eyes on Chiefs training camp. And in doing so, there are already several players who are turning heads. So let's take a look at three Chiefs standouts from training camp so far, but also at one player who has left way too much meat on the bone thus far as well.
Chiefs training camp standout No. 3: Deneric Prince, RB
By all accounts, the running back hierarchy for the Chiefs isn't really in question. Isiah Pacheco took control of the RB1 last season as a seventh-round rookie and, though he's been dealing with a hand injury early in training camp, he's expected back before Week 1. Behind him is Jerick McKinnon. who was re-signed this offseason, and former first-round pick (and bust) Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
UDFA signing Deneric Prince is trying to crash that party, though.
Prince has been turning a lot of heads with his burst and versatility thus far in training camp, particularly with his pass-catching ability and speed out of the backfield.
He's also already got the attention of a pretty important voice in the locker room, that of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The all-world signal-caller heaped praise on what the former Tulsa star is capable of, via Chiefs Wire.
"He can catch the ball in the backfield, he can run the ball really well, and he's getting better and better with the protection stuff, so I think they're just continuing to get him reps," Mahomes explained. "We're going to have a deep running back room, and it's always good to have those guys that we can trust to be in there for the big moments of the game."
Prince has also seen time playing with the first-team offense in Pacheco's absence and has also gotten work as a kick returner as well.
That special teams ability could be key to him making the 53-man roster. But with the way Edwards-Helaire has underperformed in his career to this point, Prince turning heads could give the Chiefs front office a tough decision come cutdown time.
Chiefs training camp standout No. 2: Joshua Williams, CB
As a fourth-round rookie out of Fayetteville State last season, Joshua Williams still played a key depth role in the Kansas City secondary, logging more than 400 snaps for the defense.
Entering his second season, though, he's still going to be crucial for the depth of the cornerback room, a group that could verge on being called thin on paper coming into the year. But Williams' early performance at training camp has some people thinking he could be ready to level up and take on a bigger role.
Williams has been given some flowers already in camp and deservedly so. The 6-foot-3, 193-pound corner has exceptional length that he's been putting on display, including perhaps one of the best plays in camp so far as he tipped an interception to himself on a Blaine Gabbert pass to John Ross.
Consistency is going to be key for Williams, something he even noted, specifying that he and the rest of the secondary are being asked to do more in press coverage. His playmaking skills for a Steve Spagnuolo defense that is looking to create more turnovers and splash plays in the 2023 season, though, could be extremely valuable.
With L'Jarius Sneed injured right now in camp, Williams has the chance to step up. If he can complement his highlight-reel plays with sustained high-end performance leading up to Week 1, there's a chance he could be a starter on the Kansas City defense.
Chiefs training camp standout No. 1: Justyn Ross, WR
Everyone's favorite storyling out of Chiefs training camp, it's impossible not to root for Justyn Ross.
The former Clemson wide receiver went undrafted in 2022 after a neck injury caused him to lose a year from his college career. He did return for his senior season but clearly showed rust. That plus the injury concerns allowed him to be signed by Kansas City on the UDFA market.
He flashed a bit last offseason but, sadly, suffered another injury that ultimately landed him on IR for the entirety of his rookie campaign. Healthy once again, though, Ross has been giving Chiefs social media and fans all the highlights they could ever ask for.
He's basically been Chef Ross with the way he's cooked DBs regularly.
Coming into training camp and the offseason at large, Ross was a hopeful to make the roster. But as of late, he's been getting work with Mahomes in the first-team offense and looks to potentially be a legitimate factor in the Chiefs offense for the 2023 season.
Ross could be one of the best stories in the NFL this season if that happens. More importantly in Kansas City, though, he's flashing signs that he could be something like a WR1 for the offense that is currently looking for someone to step into that role to complement Travis Kelce at tight end in the passing attack.
Chiefs biggest loser of training camp so far: Kadarius Toney, WR
Speaking of the WR1 in the Chiefs offense, much of the talk coming out of free agency when Kansas City didn't sign much in the way of wide receiver talent with JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman signing elsewhere was that Kadarius Toney, who the franchise acquired via trade last season, would step into that role.
The big caveat for that, though, was that Toney needed to stay healthy.
Predictably, that hasn't been the case. On the first day of training camp, Toney reportedly tweaked his knee while fielding punts as a returner. That has since been reported as a partial meniscus tear that will sideline him likely into the start of the regular season.
Since the Giants drafted him in the first round back in 2021, health has been the biggest issue for Toney. He's immensely talented, as we've seen even in Kansas City when he's been on the field. But a combination of hamstring and other lower-body injuries have made the best ability (availability) an issue for the dynamic pass-catcher.
We're not going to fault a guy for getting hurt, to be clear. Injuries are a part of the game and, unfortunately, talented players can also be injury-prone, which appears to be the case with Toney.
Having said that, this was a massive opportunity for the young receiver to really take control as the leader of the pass-catching corps. In his absence, however, guys like Justyn Ross, rookie Rashee Rice and others have started to take up the mantle as the leaders of that group. Because of that, it's hard not to look at Toney as a loser of training camp for the Chiefs thus far.