The final round of Kansas City Chiefs Organized Team Activities (OTAs) is set to begin this week, and many players — both old and new — have managed to stand out thus far.
Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, one of the newest members of the team, is one of those early favorites.
Valdes-Scantling, who signed a three-year, $30 million contract in March, is known for his blazing speed and proclivity for breaking off chunk plays in excess. That, in addition to his size, will play well within the Chiefs' offense. With Tyreek Hill out of the picture, Kansas City's production at wideout is expected to be a by-committee undertaking featuring numerous players stepping up. Valdes-Scantling, 27, somehow finds himself being one of the older players in the group. He's handled himself as such thus far in OTAs, and wide receivers coach Joe Bleymaier is taking notice.
“He’s been great," Bleymaier said of Valdes-Scantling. "He is the epitome of a professional. He comes to work. He’s all business. He wants to know what he’s doing, why, the whole picture, the whole story. Detailed. The athletic ability, I think, speaks for itself. When he gets into the classroom, you kind of see how he as gotten to where he’s gotten.
"He is on his P’s and Q’s. Wants to know and wants to learn. Not only what he’s doing but the whole offense, and I think part of that is he’s had success individually and he’s been part of a successful team. And that’s what he did in his past, so that’s carried over. Initial reaction, that’s what it’s been and that’s been awesome.”
Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy also praised the wide receiver group as a whole, tipping his cap to its ability to develop chemistry quickly and communicate with great proficiency. Part of that could stem from quarterback Patrick Mahomes hosting the unit in Texas for workouts earlier in the offseason, but another part of it is a testament to the job that general manager Brett Veach has done over the past few months.
Tasked with rebuilding a critically important position group, Veach went to work and acquired physical, fast and heady wideouts. While the group may not possess the talent of someone like Hill this year, the depth from top to bottom is impressive. In addition to Valdes-Scantling, fellow free-agent acquisition JuJu Smith-Schuster and second-round draft pick Skyy Moore will look to serve as suitable weapons for Mahomes en route to another possible playoff run. The stakes, as always, are high in Kansas City.
With that in mind, Valdes-Scantling should fit right in. It remains to be seen exactly what his complete role in head coach Andy Reid's offense will be or where he ends up on the team's final depth chart, but he brings clear advantages to the table. In addition to his physical gifts, it's becoming more and more apparent that he has the intangible elements that are necessary to stand out in Reid's system. If Bleymaier's comments are any indication, Valdes-Scantling's transition from Green Bay to Kansas City shouldn't be a difficult one.
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