Kansas City Chiefs third-year defensive end Breeland Speaks is looking svelte ahead of training camp.
Speaks showed up to the start of OTAs in 2019 looking more like a defensive tackle than he did a defensive end. Many fans criticized him for showing up out of shape, but that doesn’t seem like it will be an issue in 2020.
Speaks appears to be working out alongside former Ole Miss teammate Isaac Gross. Instead of playing professional football, Gross is shaping the bodies of athletes as a personal trainer. He posted a pair of photos of a shirtless Speaks on Twitter. Speaks looks to be in a lot better shape than he was this time last season. Check it out:
@Bspeaks9 gone cause hell this year for sure Golden Jacket Mentality @Chiefs pic.twitter.com/Ugj3wWsB1r
— Issac Gross (@Big_Gross_94) June 30, 2020
Keep in mind that Speaks is coming off of a 2019 season spent on injured reserve. He suffered a knee injury in the preseason that required surgery. Brendan Daly did say he was impressed with how Speaks attacked rehab and recovery, these photos show that it wasn’t just optimism.
Expectations are high for Speaks this in 2020. The third year in the NFL is a make or break type of season in general, but for Speaks, there’s an increased emphasis on performance. As a rookie, he played out of position as an outside linebacker in Bob Sutton’s 3-4 defense. Then he had the lost season in 2019, in what would have been his first season playing his natural position at 4-3 defensive end. Thus far, Kansas City hasn’t really seen Speaks at his best.
Starting the season off right, with a fine-tuned body heading into training camp, could be the beginning of a breakout season for Speaks. With news of a potential holdout from star defensive tackle Chris Jones, the Chiefs will need all the help they can get in the pass rush department.
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