On Sunday, Kansas City’s veteran defensive end discussed rookie teammates — and his own goals.
Sunday marked the first padded practice at the Kansas City Chiefs’ training camp at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph. Despite high temperatures, defensive end Mike Danna was ready to see the increased intensity.
“It’s great hearing the pads pop,” said Kansas City’s second-longest tenured defender. “Being able to thud, being able to wrap up, being able to be physical outside of the protective shells? It’s amazing. Guys were competing every single play.
“Nine-on-seven was tough. It was hot, but when the pads come on, you see who’s really about it and who’s not. I feel like everybody stepped up on both sides of the ball. We were competing today.”
One of the Chiefs’ goals is to determine whether a pair of rookies in Danna’s position group are “about it.” So far, Danna is high on defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott and defensive end Ashton Gillotte.
“He’s explosive,” Danna observed of Norman-Lott. “His get-off is amazing. He has a bright future. If he just keeps working out, working his potential and striving every single day, he’s going to be great. He comes to work. We’ve got a few pit bulls as rookies, so they come in and they’re working. You see them taking no reps off in one-on-ones.
Denny Medley-Imagn Images
“I’m really excited about [Norman-Lott’s] game because he’s physical and explosive —and anytime you put that on film, that just pops out.”
Gillotte’s work ethic has stood out to Danna.
“He’s a great kid,” remarked the veteran. “He comes in to work every single day. Chin-to-the-hairline, he understands the game. He understands the playbook. We’re going to rely on him a lot. We’re going to depend on him. He has a bright future as well… He plays the game the right way: with the effort and with the intensity. I’m excited for him.”
Of course, the most-watched rookie at St. Joseph is offensive tackle Josh Simmons. Danna has now recorded a lot of snaps against Kansas City’s first-round selection from April’s draft.
“He’s a hell of an athlete,” Danna declared of Simmons. “He has a bright future. The sky is the limit for him. He comes in day-in, day-out. [He’s] physical and athletic.
“It’s great to see him working in with the ‘ones’ and seeing him compete every single day. The guy comes to work every single day — and he’s a tough competitor.”
On the first day of padded practices, the team also got its first taste of head coach Andy Reid’s notorious “long drive” drills.
“You’ve just got to gut it out,” Danna explained. “There’s no looking for subs. There’s no looking for ways out. You’ve just got to realize that this is the time to dig deep. This is the time to grow. Coach emphasizes growing in uncomfortable situations. That’s all that long drive drill is. It’s just uncomfortable. Your body’s tired. Your body’s exhausted.
“You want to see who’s going to dig deep — who’s going to keep going. The best way to do it is that long drive drill. That’s the recipe.”
Now entering his sixth season, Danna realizes that his versatility — and willingness to move inside when needed — have helped extend his career after joining the Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
“With my game,” he noted, “I just try to be versatile and [do] whatever the coaches need [or] whatever my teammates need. If they rely on me to go inside and produce — or line up inside and do what I’ve got to do — then that’s what it is. It’s always a challenge going from both outside to end because it’s always different footwork — always different techniques — but you’ve just got to be able to adjust. If you’re able to adjust on the fly, you can really excel.”
Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
While Danna is heavily focused on helping his young teammates, he has a 2025 goal for himself, too.
“[It’s] to get better at pass rushing,” he said, “and finish with over eight sacks. That’s my goal every single year: to raise the bar and have a career year. In my [last] career year, I had 6.5 [sacks], but I want to raise the standard; I want to raise my bars. So I want to keep pushing myself and outworking my potential every single day.
“I want to grind. I just want to push these guys to where they can outwork their potential as well — so [it’s] not even just my goal, but just helping the guys around me.”