Kansas City opened its 2025 training camp on Tuesday, allowing us a good look at several newcomers in action.
On Tuesday, the Kansas City Chiefs opened their 2025 training camp at Missouri Western State University in St.Joseph, giving their fans a first look at a few of the team’s newest members.
As usual, the first practice was a quick, efficient day with numerous individual periods and few full-team periods. And while there is only so much to take away from a non-padded, low-contact practice, it was still intriguing to see where Kansas City’s new players lined up — and which newcomers cracked the first team.
Jaylon Moore and Josh Simmons on the outside
Both of the Chiefs’ new tackles started their day with the first string — and with the absence of the injured incumbent right tackle Jawaan Taylor, it was the veteran Moore who found himself on the right side, while first-round rookie Simmons lined up on the left.
There’s not much to say about what they did in the team’s brief 11-on-11 period, but the individual drills showed that Simmons is beginning to look the part of an NFL left tackle.
Look at Josh Simmons working some indy pass pro drills. Quick feet. #Chiefskingdom pic.twitter.com/9QueLKsZFn
— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) July 22, 2025
The Chiefs looked more than comfortable playing both with the first team on Tuesday. This will be a story to monitor throughout camp — especially once Taylor returns from injury, when the battle for starting snaps will heat up.
Elijah Mitchell out of the backfield
While it may have been overshadowed by other, flashier offseason moves, Kansas City’s quiet acquisition of veteran running back Elijah Mitchell could prove to be valuable. Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt had most of Tuesday’s snaps with the first-team offense, but Mitchell got a handful of opportunities with the starters, too — mostly on passing downs. While Pacheco and Hunt will be the downhill runners, Mitchell could give the Chiefs’ backfield a bit of explosion. As the season progresses (and as long as he starts healthy), he has the skills to become a legitimate pass-catching option.
Omarr Norman-Lott on the defensive interior
Until practices ramp up into more contact, it will be hard to see how the trenches will shake out. Still, the team wasted little time throwing its second-round rookie defensive tackle into the mix with the starting defensive line.
While Kansas City is returning multiple starters, the loss of free-agent pass rusher Tershawn Wharton forced the team into finding another productive pass rusher on the interior. The second-round defensive tackle might be just the man for the job.
Only a few days after signing his rookie deal, Norman-Lott found himself playing the first-team defense on pass-rushing downs, along with second-team reps in other situations.
The former Tennessee standout is one of the rookies with a serious chance to play starting-level snaps in 2025. He will be someone to watch when the team dons pads to begin full 11-on-11 and inside drills, plus one-on-one pass protection.
The bottom line
Compared to the weather we’ve recently seen in the Kansas City area — and what we can expect as we head into August — Tuesday’s conditions were fairly mild. So the team ran a quick practice designed to acclimate the players to Andy Reid’s fast-paced camp and make sure everyone is prepared for the dog days to come.
As the weather heats up, so will the competition. The Chiefs’ newcomers will have plenty of chances to prove they can contribute on a contending team.