Jul 22, 2025; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks to media after training camp at Missouri Western State University. Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Chiefs' Reid Likes Play of Young Wide Receivers

Originally posted on Kansas City Chiefs on SI
By Scott Salomon | Last updated Aug 5, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs did not practice in full pads on Monday, but they still had a nice, long practice and got good work in on their game in the red zone. They also worked on third-down situations so they could be more successful in keeping the ball and not having their special teams unit come into give the ball back to the opposition.

"Red zone, third downs, these things you can always do better at them. Even though we were one of the top third-down teams, well, you gotta be better at that," head coach Andy Reid said. "On both sides of the ball we did well. Red zone, we did pretty good there - in certain situations, down and distances. We've got a lot of second and third-down plays, which turned out being pretty important. You don't get a lot of work on that in the red zone, so we tried to focus on that throughout there."

Reid said wide receivers Tyquan Thornton and Jason Brownlee looked good in the drills Monday and he likes what he sees from both of them.

"I think they are doing a nice job. You saw Brownlee with a couple of high balls there. Thornton is doing a nice job too," Reid said. "Both are big guys. Thornton is a runner, and Brownlee is a big strong kid. A little different styles, but both of them are good players."

Reid also said he liked the play of wide receiver Jalen Royals. The fourth-round pick out of Utah State is having a good camp.

"He's doing a nice job, too. He's catching the football well, strong and looks like the quarterbacks trust him," Reid said. "That's a big part of it. As you watch, you just kind of see who the quarterbacks are going to, and there is a certain trust they're developing here in that kid. So, that kind of speaks for itself."

Reid also discussed the rookie rivalry between offensive tackle Josh Simmons and defensive end Ashton Gillotte. The two were involved in a fracas during practice on Sunday, but tempers were restored quickly.

"It's one thing you see with the rookies because they do a couple of different things before we actually get them on the field where they're together at these different functions. There's a certain pride in your rookie class and how you are going to establish yourself in that and when they compete, those two are competitive guys, and they get in there and bang it around a little and I think it's all healthy," Reid said. "They're friends so it works out off the field, but they're both trying to chase a starting spot and see what they can do there."

Click here to let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page. WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE

This article first appeared on Kansas City Chiefs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: