5 Chiefs with something to prove against Cardinals in preseason Week 2

These five #Chiefs should play with chips on their shoulders against the #Cardinals on Saturday.

The Kansas City Chiefs had several standouts in their loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, but others were not so impressive. Luckily, they’ll have their chance to redeem themselves against the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday as they look to earn their spot on Kansas City’s 53-man roster for the 2023 regular season.

While the Chiefs’ first-team units are relatively safe, their pool of talent deeper down on their depth chart is competing for jobs heading into Kansas City’s second preseason tilt.

These five players in particular should play with a chip on their shoulders against Arizona on Saturday:

Chiefs duds in preseason Week 1 loss at Saints

These #Chiefs left something to be desired in Kansas City’s loss to the #Saints on Sunday.

The Chiefs’ 26-24 preseason Week 1 loss to the New Orleans Saints wasn’t exactly a pretty game. There were some standouts for Kansas City, sure — even some studs — but there were plenty who didn’t exactly show out, either.

Below are Chiefs players who had a rough game in the first week of the preseason, and may have even hurt their stock a little in the process:

Chiefs safety Justin Reid on rookies: ‘We want them to be confident’

#Chiefs safety Justin Reid stressed the importance of confidence in his comments after Kansas City’s loss to the #Saints.

Confidence is key in the NFL and Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid knows all too well how much his team’s young contributors need an extra boost after a loss like they took on Sunday.

Reid spoke to reporters after the Chiefs’ defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints and told the media that, despite the loss, he intends to make sure Kansas City’s rookies keep their spirits high.

“We [want] to juice them up. We want them to be confident,” Reid said of the Chiefs’ young guns. “We would love for everybody to make the team. That, unfortunately, isn’t how it works in the NFL. There’s going to be cuts. We want everybody to go out there and put good tape out there so that even if you don’t make the team here, you still have an opportunity somewhere else. There are some guys who took advantage of some opportunities out there. [They need to] keep their heads high, keep them playing hard, playing fast, making plays. They did a lot of good things.”

Reid and the rest of Kansas City’s roster will take Sunday’s loss in stride ahead of their next preseason matchup against the Arizona Cardinals on August 19. If his comments are any indication, Reid won’t let the team’s rookies get too down on themselves as they learn Steve Spagnuolo’s defensive system and develop their talents before the start of the 2023 regular season in September.

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Chiefs safety Justin Reid reflected on covering Travis Kelce in his rookie preseason debut

#Chiefs safety Justin Reid reflected on his rookie preseason debut when he covered Travis Kelce as a member of the Houston Texans. | from: @EdEastonJr

The first preseason game serves as a dress rehearsal for each team in the NFL before the regular season, and the Kansas City Chiefs will begin their journey toward Super Bowl defense next Sunday against the New Orleans Saints in their preseason opener.

Chiefs safety Justin Reid has continued to be outspoken about helping to develop Kansas City’s rookies ahead of the new season. He opened up to reporters following Saturday’s practice about his experience as a rookie with the Houston Texans entering his first preseason game against the Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium.

“So, my rookie year, the first game I played preseason was right here in Kansas City, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead, and the first guy I guarded was Travis Kelce,” Reid explained. “He caught like a 12-yard, 14-yard curl on me. I’ll always remember that. [In your] rookie year it’s all about proving yourself to the team, showing the team what you have.

“The playbook is going to be very simple on gameday, it’s going to be very generic across the board. You just want guys to go out and play fast and see what they can do in a live setting. The difference now is, you know you’re going to be starting, you want to make sure you’re getting healthy, you want to make sure your routines are right and that you’re ready to go.”

Reid has been praised throughout training camp for his mentorship of the Chiefs’ young secondary. The approach of revealing his experiences and working on day-to-day fundamentals have made him an invaluable piece of Kansas City’s Super Bowl repeat aspirations.

Top quotes from Chiefs’ August 5 post-practice press conference

Check out some of the top quotes from the Chiefs’ post-practice press conference on August 5:

The Kansas City Chiefs finished another week of practice on Saturday during training camp displaying more triumphs and improvements on the field during their workouts at Missouri Western State University. Four Chiefs got in front of the podium for the team’s post-practice press conference, and each gave reporters’ generous responses heading into their day off on Sunday.

Dave Toub, Wanya Morris, Leo Chenal, and Justin Reid spoke to reporters and provided valuable insight into their thoughts on training camp, teammates, and more.

Check out their top quotes below:

Justin Reid: Chiefs defense has ‘whole lot’ of confidence

Chiefs safety Justin Reid wasn’t shy in expressing the confidence of Kansas City’s defense ahead of their 2023 championship defense campaign. | from: @LazarczykLogan

The Kansas City Chiefs had five rookies play a significant number of snaps for their defense in 2022, and battled through steep learning curves and lapses in judgment early in the season as they got their first-year players acclimated to life in the NFL.

Safety Justin Reid was also new to coordinator Steve Spagunolo’s system last year, and while he was a seasoned veteran entering the Super Bowl campaign, he too took time to adjust to the new defensive scheme. Reid spoke to reporters after practice on Saturday, telling the media that he believes that the defense’s improved confidence is evident heading into their second year together, as communication and speed have vastly improved.

“[We have] a whole lot [of confidence] across the board,” Reid said. “We watch the film from this time last year to right now, especially with the first team – not nearly as many busts, windows are tight. I know [in] previous training camps it used to be when the offense wasn’t scoring a lot of points, it [was assumed] that the offense had a bad day. But this year, the defense is playing well too. We are trying to make it hard on the offense – we give them a lot of looks, they give us a lot of looks – it’s competitive and it’s back-and-forth every day.”

What Reid described in his comments is what makes this Chiefs team so intriguing ahead of their 2023 campaign. In the past, it was the offense that carried the team, while the defense fell behind.

Now, it is a well-balanced team that can win a football game in multiple different ways. Trent McDuffie, Bryan Cook, Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson, and George Karlaftis, among others, are entering their second seasons in the NFL giving Kansas City’s fans reason for optimism that this Chiefs defense can be a top-10 unit in the league.

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Chiefs safety Justin Reid more comfortable in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense heading into 2023

Safety Justin Reid said that there is a “night and day” difference in his comfortability in the #Chiefs defense at training camp.

Justin Reid played his first season in Steve Spagnuolo’s defensive system last year during the Kansas City Chiefs’ run to Super Bowl LVII. Like many newcomers to the veteran coordinator’s scheme, it took Reid some time to adjust.

This offseason, Reid has gained a step in his understanding of the playbook, and that has carried over to training camp for the 26-year-old safety. He talked to reporters after Saturday’s practice about his comfortability with Spagnuolo’s playbook.

“[It’s been] night and day,” Reid explained. “From training camp last year to this year, night and day on the speed of play – not out there thinking, just out there playing – knowing what all the responsibilities are, knowing [what] my teammates are doing, helping guys get organized, just go out the field and play. [There is] definitely, a learning curve to it. Some of the young guys, some of the new players are feeling that a little bit.”

Reid will continue getting Kansas City’s first and second-year defensive backs up to speed through the rest of the preseason. His newfound confidence is sure to inspire his teammates as they endeavor to defend the Chiefs’ championship title in 2023.

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Justin Reid bullish on Chiefs’ defensive potential in 2023

Veteran safety Justin Reid posted a tweet on Tuesday that could portend good things for the #Chiefs’ defense in 2023.

Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid posted an interesting tweet on Tuesday while the team took a short break from practice entering their second week of training camp.

“Defense has a real chance to be really special this year.” He wrote on the popular social media site. “Gotta keep earning it every day.”

While a single tweet is hardly a cause for the outlook of the Chiefs’ defense to change drastically, Reid’s bullish note is a good sign that Kansas City’s roster is starting to gel during their practices in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Reid, for his part, is one of the most senior members of the Chiefs’ secondary and has seen his share of camps over the course of his NFL career, which is entering its sixth year. This tweet, humble as it is, could portend big things to come as Kansas City looks to defend its Super Bowl LVII title in 2023.

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Chiefs Bryan Cook on S Justin Reid: ‘There’s so much to learn from him’

#Chiefs safety Bryan Cook spoke about learning from veteran Justin Reid after Friday’s padded workouts. | from: @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs have a healthy mix of veterans and young talent at every position at Missouri Western State University for training camp. Another Super Bowl title is the only goal for the team, and Friday marked the first day of padded practice where they honed their skills for the new season.

One of the Chiefs’ young talents in the secondary is safety Bryan Cook who has shown signs of taking the next step in his development as training camp has gotten underway. During Friday’s post-practice press conference, Cook took time to acknowledge the mentorship and support he’s received from veteran teammate Justin Reid.

“There’s so much to learn from him,” Reid explained. “Outside of football, I will say, let’s just start off [with] life… Coming in as a rookie, you don’t know anything, so to learn from him – he actually got to stay here, which is beautiful – but like off the field, learn about how to manage through life, how to manage through becoming in this situation, you know this wasn’t always a thing for me. Just being comfortable in front of the camera, and things like that.

“On the field, just being ready, being a pro. I think this goes for everything, as you can see, he’s playing at a high level, which I definitely enjoy, but just learn from him because he’s a vet so whatever he knows, I like to try to pick his brain about certain things but it’s about everything. I can’t just pinpoint one thing, it’s more about from the way I wake up, to off the field, and the way I come back in here if I’m on the field, it’s constant learning from him trying to figure it out and pick his brain about things.”

Cook is entering his second season in the NFL and has already shown more maturity and leadership qualities at the early stages of training camp compared to where he was a year ago as a rookie. Reid has been viewed by many of the young defensive backs as a leader since joining the team last year, and he will continue to work on improving his game and lifting up his teammates, including Cook, during the Chiefs’ upcoming 2023 campaign.

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Chiefs safety Justin Reid honed kicking technique before Tuesday practice session

Justin Reid focused on honing his kicking skills ahead of the #Chiefs’ practice session on Tuesday.

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Safety Justin Reid is a key part of Kansas City’s secondary, but also has the ability to serve as the team’s backup kicker in a pinch. He demonstrated his kicking abilities last year in the preseason, and was even called on to convert a couple of extra-point tries in 2022.

Reid continued honing his unique craft at the Chiefs’ Tuesday workouts, showing off his leg before Kansas City’s practice session got underway.

Though the team will certainly hope that they won’t have to rely on him in this capacity during their 2023 campaign, his utility to the Chiefs’ special teams unit shouldn’t go overlooked as Kansas City seeks to defend their Super Bowl title.

Reid has made a name for himself as one of the NFL’s top defensive backs, and in time could prove to be one of the league’s best kickers if given more opportunities to show his exceptional boot in the preseason.

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