Tag: Juju Smitch-Schuster

Chiefs HC Andy Reid provides injury updates ahead of Tuesday practice

#Chiefs HC Andy Reid gave some updates on injuries ahead of practice on Tuesday, confirming that everyone would practice in some capacity.

Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid addressed a throng of reporters ahead of the team’s practice on Tuesday.

Reid revealed that everyone participated in the team’s padded practice to start the week on Monday. He also said that everyone would participate in practice on Tuesday, though it would be a lighter one compared to yesterday.

“I don’t have any injuries to update you on,” Reid began. “We’re doing well there. Everybody practiced yesterday. Look’s like we’ll do the same today.”

Speaking on specific players, Reid confirmed that Chiefs CB L’Jarius Sneed had cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol.

“Yeah, it’s great to have him back,” Reid said. “He did get out of the protocol and pass it. He’s doing well, so he’ll be back and working.”

Reid also confirmed that Kadarius Toney and JuJu Smith-Schuster are trending in the right direction ahead of Super Bowl LVII.

“They practiced yesterday, they’ll go again today,” Reid said of Toney and Smith-Schuster. “They looked good. Then, we’ll just see how it goes the rest of the week. I mean, this is — today will be an easy day. Then we’ve got three days that are a little tougher. We’ll just see where they’re at. Yesterday we were able to put the pads on and get some work done there. The guys hadn’t had them on for a week.”

As for Patrick Mahomes’s ankle, while the quarterback confirmed the injury is much better this week compared to last, Reid stopped short of saying that he’ll be 100% for Super Bowl LVII. He showered the training staff in praise for the job they’ve done to get him able to perform and play in a game with this injury.

“I wouldn’t tell you he’s 100 percent,” Reid said of Mahomes. “The training staff works with him endlessly. I guess it’s a tribute to both of them. Pat (Mahomes) coming back for more and for those guys cranking on him. Julie (Frymyer) spent most of the time with him, rehabbing him. We’ve got all the latest and greatest stuff to use technology-wise. He’s used it all and he’s been able to make these jumps here where he can actually function and play in a game, which is pretty remarkable.”

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JuJu Smith-Schuster gave advice to Chiefs rookie WR Skyy Moore ahead of Week 1

#Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster advised rookie WR Skyy Moore ahead of his NFL debut in Week 1. | from @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs return to the field for a game that will count against the standings beginning this Sunday.

The team will travel west to battle the Arizona Cardinals with a healthy mix of veterans and rookies on both sides of the ball. One of the newest veterans on the team is wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster readying to play his first official game as a member of the Chiefs.

The former Pro Bowler hopes the new surroundings will revitalize him this season as he seeks to shake off his injury-riddled 2021 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Entering his sixth season, Smith-Schuster will be viewed as a leader for the receivers in Kansas City, and he addressed that on Wednesday with reporters.

“Yeah, I mean (the) majority of guys in that room, they’ve been on big stages before,” Said Smith-Schuster. “You got MVS (Marquez Valdes-Scantling) coming from the Packers where he’s played on big stages. You got Mecole (Hardman), who’s already been on big stages. Obviously, me coming from where I came from (Pittsburgh Steelers), we all played on big stages, so the first game, like I said, people have butterflies, people have that nervousness, but that’s normal for humans. At the end of the day, I just think it’s great for all of us to go out there and just show what we’re here to do.”

Smith-Schuster was an explosive draft pick for the Steelers in 2017 and had fond memories of his first NFL game. The veteran wideout discussed his recent conversation with rookie receiver Skyy Moore ahead of his debut on Sunday.

“A lot, a lot like I mean, I come to find out, you know, Skyy’s he’s a local Pittsburgh guy,” said Smith-Schuster. “But you know, those experiences I felt, you know, he’s going through the same thing this morning where we was talking about he was like, ‘Is it gonna be a different type of energy Week 1? I’m like, ‘Just keep doing what you’re doing, Skyy, you’re doing great.’ And I can say he’s super excited. He’s just, you know, happy to be here, and to get going.”

The Chiefs will have many players making debuts on Sunday as the new season gets underway. How the receivers perform will be something that the fans monitor weekly with excitement for what the future holds.

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Marquez Valdes-Scantling thinks Chiefs’ WR group can be special

Marquez Valdes-Scantling shared his thoughts on the growing chemistry in the #Chiefs’ receiver room both on and off the field.

The Kansas City Chiefs have begun preparations for their matchup against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1.

The start of the new season will allow the Chiefs to showcase new talent added in the offseason. The many additions this offseason for the Chiefs include the revamped wide receivers room. The signing of veterans and drafting of rookies have remodeled the group that no longer features All-Pro Tyreek Hill. One of the new signings, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, shared his thoughts on the growing chemistry of the receiver’s room during Monday’s press conference.

“Yeah, I think that we’ve come along very well,” said Valdes-Scantling. “Each guy in that room does something unique and different. I think that’s what makes that room so special. And obviously, with 15 (Patrick Mahomes) back there and (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid calling the plays, we can pretty much do anything. But I think just with our room specifically, there’s just so many different weapons and varieties of what we can do and the type of players that we are. (It’s) not just one guy that can do one thing. They move us around and let us all kind of experience different positions and different routes and that’s the beauty of this offense. That’s why we’re going to be very explosive and successful.”

Valdes-Scantling, along with fellow veteran signing Juju Smith-Schuster, will be viewed as leaders while newcomers Justin Watson and rookie Skyy Moore are also in the fold. The most experienced receiver in the Chiefs’ offense is Mecole Hardman, but the group is finding ways to mesh both on and off the field.

“Yeah, when you spend every day with the guys, you tend to get really close,” said Valdes-Scantling. “We hang out outside of the facility as well. We’ll have people go over JuJu’s (Smith-Schuster) house or my house and kind of just hang out and chill. So, I think that it’s a good thing knowing that you can depend on these guys on and off the field. It makes a brotherhood that you can’t emulate anywhere else.”

The Chiefs have heard the speculation all offseason regarding whether or not the team can succeed without Hill. The challenge could be enough to fuel more production from this new crop of receivers.

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Andy Reid likes what he’s seen from Chiefs’ new receiver room

At the conclusion of mandatory minicamp, #Chiefs HC Andy Reid gave an update on the progress made by his new wide receiver group.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have wrapped up their mandatory minicamp and will now break for a little over a month before training camp.

Between OTAs and mandatory minicamp, Chiefs HC Andy Reid has a 13-practice sample size of seeing his team in action. That includes a ton of new faces, with several veteran free agents and rookies across the roster. One position group with the most turnover has been the wide receiver room, with just a few holdovers from previous seasons.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Reid gave an update on the progress of some of the new receivers and the team’s most veteran player at the position.

“Yeah, I really liked the way (JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling) worked,” Reid said. “They have a nice connection with Pat (Mahomes) up to this point. I’d be curious to see how it gets when there are live bullets and all that stuff. We’ll see how that rolls but I wouldn’t expect anything much different than what I’ve been seeing. And the other guys too have worked in there. Mecole (Hardman) has upped his game here and done a nice job. Our young kid, Skyy (Moore), he’s mixed in there and he’s been good. I like the mixture that we’ve got going.”

With no live contact up to this point, the only thing that Andy Reid really hasn’t seen from his receiver group is blocking. He often refers to OTAs and minicamp as “passing camps” because really most of what they do is throwing the ball. Because of that, Reid feels like he has a pretty good idea of what the entire receiver group is capable of.

Speaking solely on rookie receiver Skyy Moore, Reid seemed impressed. Moore missed rookie minicamp and was limited during a portion of OTAs with a hamstring injury, but he seems to be picking up the offense and flashing his abilities now that he’s healthy.

“You know what, he looks strong,” Reid said of Moore. “You see that in the way he’s built physically, but that transfers. You see those big hands he has, he catches everything. He’s a good route runner. Smart kid, seemed to pick it up well.”

The team will break ahead of training camp, but the receivers should have another opportunity to get some work in with Patrick Mahomes out in Texas during the break. They’ll continue to build that chemistry and work on some things away from the team in order to be best prepared for training camp when they report in late July.

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