Originally Posted by RaidersOftheCellar (Post 16328223)

Chiefs OTAs: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Patrick Mahomes showing strong connection

By Nate Taylor
Jun 9, 2022

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One of Patrick Mahomes’ best repetitions in Thursday’s voluntary, padless practice was also one of the best repetitions for one of his new receivers: Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

In a team period, the Chiefs’ superstar quarterback surveyed the field, starting from the right side. Mahomes then began to scramble, moving toward the left sideline. In one fluid motion, Mahomes threw an impressive no-look pass. Near the sideline was Valdes-Scantling, who stretched his long left arm to make an equally impressive one-handed reception.

Thursday’s highlight was yet another example, among many during the Chiefs’ organized team activities, that demonstrated the already strong connection that is growing between Mahomes and Valdes-Scantling.

“I’m embracing the opportunity,” Valdes-Scantling said. He added of Mahomes’ rare, wizardly-like passes: “He’s the best in the business at doing that, in finding the open guy and giving them chances.”

In fact, Valdes-Scantling believes he was prepared for such a play thanks to his four-year tenure with the Green Bay Packers, the perennial NFC contender led by superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the NFL’s reigning back-to-back MVP who is also known for his improvisational skills.

As a rookie in 2018, Valdes-Scantling said one of his first receptions in training camp was Rodgers throwing him a no-look pass, although the quarterback was rolling to the opposite side of the field.

“I caught it, but I wasn’t ready for it,” Valdes-Scantling said, laughing. “I got that a lot. You’re always aware that the ball could come to you at any given time. I’m accustomed to it. Pat is gifted like that, where he can do those kinds of things. I’m just excited that I have another quarterback who is that talented.”

In late March, Valdes-Scantling signed a three-year, $30 million contract, with $18 million in the first two seasons, with the Chiefs. The two parties agreed to the deal the day after the Chiefs traded star receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for five draft picks. At the time, the move was easy for many analysts to understand: The Chiefs wanted the speedy Valdes-Scantling, 27, to fulfill their deep-threat role within the offense, the role Hill, the league’s fastest player, excelled in.

Valdes-Scantling was the lone ball carrier in the league who has been clocked, according to Next Gen Stats, to have run faster than Hill on a snap in the past two seasons. In Week 11 against the Minnesota Vikings last season, Valdes-Scantling was tracked running at a maximum speed of 22.09 mph. He finished that game with four receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown.

Of course, Mahomes has completed a number of deep passes to Valdes-Scantling in the Chiefs’ voluntary practices. The smoothest repetitions between the two teammates, however, have been when Valdes-Scantling has run crisp, intermediate routes, which require meticulous timing with Mahomes. Thursday’s team period featured Valdes-Scantling running such a route against rookie cornerback Trent McDuffie. Mahomes’ pass was so precise that Valdes-Scantling caught the ball in between McDuffie and safety Juan Thornhill.

“He’s a big kid, but he’s got really good flexibility,” coach Andy Reid said of Valdes-Scantling, who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 206 pounds. “He can change directions and he’s got that speed, which we all knew he had. He’s able to work some of the primary underneath routes that he maybe didn’t do quite as much in Green Bay because of who they had there. I’ve been pleased with how he goes about his business. He’s doing a nice job.”

With the Packers last season, Valdes-Scantling recorded 26 receptions for 430 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games. He was inactive for the Packers’ lone playoff game. In the past three seasons, though, he has averaged a league-high 18.5 yards per reception. If Valdes-Scantling continues to be exceptional on deep passes and showcases an improvement with more intermediate receptions with the Chiefs, he believes a large reason for such success will be because of his relationship with star receiver Davante Adams, his former teammate who, via a trade this offseason, joined the Las Vegas Raiders, the Chiefs’ archrival.

“(He was) the epitome of what you want for a veteran leader,” Valdes-Scantling said. “I talk to Davante regularly. I just talked to him yesterday. We send clips back and forth to each other like, ‘Hey, what could I have done here?’ He’s a one-of-a-kind talent, but he’ll teach you everything.”

In April, Valdes-Scantling was among the group of prominent skill position players who participated in training and passing sessions with Mahomes in Fort Worth, Texas, before the Chiefs’ offseason program began. As the players began to develop their on-field chemistry, Valdes-Scantling appreciated the time he had away from the field, during lunches and dinners, to connect with his new teammates. Valdes-Scantling and Mahomes discussed their previous baseball careers. Valdes-Scantling and star tight end Travis Kelce bonded over the craft of route running. Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire learned that Valdes-Scantling has a similar passion for old-school, customized cars.

“Being able to make new friends was the most important part,” Valdes-Scantling said.

Following Thursday’s practice, Edwards-Helaire was able to offer a more in-depth scouting report on Valdes-Scantling’s skills.

“Fast, nice hands, taller than me, obviously,” said a smiling Edwards-Helaire, who is listed at 5-foot-8. “I like MVS. Even when we were in Texas, the way he explains things, you can see his years in the league. He’s so wise as far as coverages. He’s able to communicate with Pat.”

In Green Bay, Valdes-Scantling said he performed in a very specific role. This spring and summer, Valdes-Scantling is learning a plethora of aspects within the Chiefs’ offense, including Mahomes’ preferences on how he wants receivers to run certain routes, Reid’s complex passing concepts and the various receiver positions in the team’s extensive playbook.

“He’s been great,” receivers assistant Joe Bleymaier said last week of Valdes-Scantling. “He wants to know what he’s doing, why, the whole picture, the whole offense. When he gets into the classroom, you kind of see how he has gotten to where he is.”

Similar to Thursday’s practice, Valdes-Scantling promised that he will be ready, in the upcoming season, to receive the first dazzling, no-look pass from Mahomes.

But the repetition required Valdes-Scantling to answer one intriguing question: What is different about catching passes from Rodgers and Mahomes?

“There’s not much difference, one is just a little bit older,” he said smiling, referencing Rodgers’ age (38) compared to Mahomes’ (26). “I’m just super excited to have the two best quarterbacks throw me the ball. I guess I’m living right.”

Reid optimistic Chiefs will sign Brown to extension

As expected, star left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. chose to not participate in this week’s practices, and he is not expected to be with his teammates next week during the Chiefs’ mandatory minicamp. In early March, the Chiefs placed the franchise tag on Brown, a four-year veteran, to prevent him from reaching free agency while extending their time to negotiate a multiyear extension.

Around that same time, Brown began interviewing agents, hearing from plenty of them before deciding last week to hire Michael Portner, who became a certified agent in the league last year and started his agency, Delta Sports Group, in December. Portner told The Athletic on Tuesday he is optimistic the Chiefs will agree with Brown on a contract extension, one that will place Brown among the highest-paid left tackles in the league for consecutive years. Brown and Portner, however, have just a five-week negotiation window with the Chiefs to achieve their goal. The league’s deadline for both parties is 3 p.m. CT on July 15. If no deal is reached, Brown is restricted to a one-year salary of $16.6 million.

“We love Orlando here, and he’s a good professional,” Reid said. “We’ve just got to work through it. I don’t see anything that’s going to get in the way. The (deal) normally doesn’t happen overnight.”

Portner had his initial meeting with the Chiefs on Monday. The following day, Brown did a short TV interview with NFL Network to express his confidence that he will have a new contract before the deadline.

“(I’m) very confident, especially based off the things that have come into effect within our division, the type of defensive ends that have been brought in,” Brown said, referencing the AFC West’s new top pass rushers, such as Chandler Jones (Raiders), Khalil Mack (Los Angeles Chargers) and Randy Gregory (Denver Broncos). “It’s not the year to go into the season with a backup left tackle.”

During their voluntary practices, the Chiefs have split the repetitions at left tackle between Roderick Johnson, a five-year veteran, and Geron Christian, another five-year veteran.

“It’s good that he’s taken that step forward, for sure,” Reid said of Brown hiring Portner. “My thing is you just try to do what you have to do to make it right and be as honest as you can. We’re quiet about that. We try to do everything behind (the scenes) with the person that we’re involved with and not tell the world about it. Our guys are very honest and deliberate, which is something (team owner) Clark (Hunt) believes in.”

Attendance report

The Chiefs had 82 of their 90 players participate in at least one of this week’s three voluntary practices, their highest attendance yet during the organized team activities.

Brown, star defensive tackle Chris Jones, defensive end Frank Clark, right tackle Lucas Niang (rehabbing from surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his left knee), cornerback Rashad Fenton (rehabbing from minor shoulder surgery), receivers Mecole Hardman (tweaked hamstring), Daurice Fountain and rookie Justyn Ross and rookie safety Nazeeh Johnson chose to not participate in Thursday’s practice.

For the first time this offseason, rookie receiver Skyy Moore (left hamstring) and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (knee) were full participants in the seven-on-seven drills and team periods Thursday, which were open to reporters.

“He’s doing a good job of understanding what we’re trying to get done,” Reid said of Moore, who the Chiefs selected with a second-round draft pick. “Now it’s just a matter of the reps and catching up with the other guys.”

More OTA observations

1. The winner of Thursday’s practice was receiver Josh Gordon. Last season, Gordon joined the Chiefs in late September, then struggled for much of the year, producing just five receptions for 32 yards, including a touchdown, in 12 games. He was inactive for the Chiefs’ postseason run. In his repetitions Thursday, Gordon showed increased speed and caught a 50-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes as he sprinted past rookie cornerback Jaylen Watson.

“He’s running better and catching better (than last year),” Reid said of Gordon. “He’s working hard, and he’s getting reps so he can get himself back where he wants to be. He was kind of getting back into the flow of playing the game (last season) and then you’re thrown a whole new offense and he has to pick all that up.

“He looks like he’s doing better after the catch and he’s able to maneuver around in space. I think he’s lost a little bit of weight.”

2. Quarterback Shane Buechele started the practice well, throwing a 5-yard touchdown to tight end Jordan Franks, who caught the ball over safety Deon Bush. But Buechele also threw two interceptions, as cornerback DiCaprio Bootle and linebacker Jack Cochrane generated the takeaways.

3. Tight ends Jody Fortson and Noah Gray both recorded nice, leaping receptions. Fortson caught Mahomes’ pass while being covered by linebacker Nick Bolton. As for Gray, he was running an intermediate route against tight coverage from linebacker Willie Gay but was able to catch Mahomes’ pass even though he fell hard to the turf.

4. Once again, defensive tackle Khalen Saunders had multiple repetitions during the team period in which he flashed his athleticism, including jumping to knock down a pass from quarterback Chad Henne.

5. Thornhill’s best repetition was when he generated a pass breakup in the middle of the field that required proper instincts and closing speed as Buechele targeted receiver Mathew Sexton.

Originally Posted by BigRedChief (Post 16328232)

Originally Posted by RaidersOftheCellar View Post
Chiefs OTAs: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Patrick Mahomes showing strong connection

By Nate Taylor
Jun 9, 2022

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One of Patrick Mahomes’ best repetitions in Thursday’s voluntary, padless practice was also one of the best repetitions for one of his new receivers: Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

In a team period, the Chiefs’ superstar quarterback surveyed the field, starting from the right side. Mahomes then began to scramble, moving toward the left sideline. In one fluid motion, Mahomes threw an impressive no-look pass. Near the sideline was Valdes-Scantling, who stretched his long left arm to make an equally impressive one-handed reception.

Thursday’s highlight was yet another example, among many during the Chiefs’ organized team activities, that demonstrated the already strong connection that is growing between Mahomes and Valdes-Scantling.

“I’m embracing the opportunity,” Valdes-Scantling said. He added of Mahomes’ rare, wizardly-like passes: “He’s the best in the business at doing that, in finding the open guy and giving them chances.”

In fact, Valdes-Scantling believes he was prepared for such a play thanks to his four-year tenure with the Green Bay Packers, the perennial NFC contender led by superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the NFL’s reigning back-to-back MVP who is also known for his improvisational skills.

As a rookie in 2018, Valdes-Scantling said one of his first receptions in training camp was Rodgers throwing him a no-look pass, although the quarterback was rolling to the opposite side of the field.

“I caught it, but I wasn’t ready for it,” Valdes-Scantling said, laughing. “I got that a lot. You’re always aware that the ball could come to you at any given time. I’m accustomed to it. Pat is gifted like that, where he can do those kinds of things. I’m just excited that I have another quarterback who is that talented.”

In late March, Valdes-Scantling signed a three-year, $30 million contract, with $18 million in the first two seasons, with the Chiefs. The two parties agreed to the deal the day after the Chiefs traded star receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for five draft picks. At the time, the move was easy for many analysts to understand: The Chiefs wanted the speedy Valdes-Scantling, 27, to fulfill their deep-threat role within the offense, the role Hill, the league’s fastest player, excelled in.

Valdes-Scantling was the lone ball carrier in the league who has been clocked, according to Next Gen Stats, to have run faster than Hill on a snap in the past two seasons. In Week 11 against the Minnesota Vikings last season, Valdes-Scantling was tracked running at a maximum speed of 22.09 mph. He finished that game with four receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown.

Of course, Mahomes has completed a number of deep passes to Valdes-Scantling in the Chiefs’ voluntary practices. The smoothest repetitions between the two teammates, however, have been when Valdes-Scantling has run crisp, intermediate routes, which require meticulous timing with Mahomes. Thursday’s team period featured Valdes-Scantling running such a route against rookie cornerback Trent McDuffie. Mahomes’ pass was so precise that Valdes-Scantling caught the ball in between McDuffie and safety Juan Thornhill.

“He’s a big kid, but he’s got really good flexibility,” coach Andy Reid said of Valdes-Scantling, who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 206 pounds. “He can change directions and he’s got that speed, which we all knew he had. He’s able to work some of the primary underneath routes that he maybe didn’t do quite as much in Green Bay because of who they had there. I’ve been pleased with how he goes about his business. He’s doing a nice job.”

With the Packers last season, Valdes-Scantling recorded 26 receptions for 430 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games. He was inactive for the Packers’ lone playoff game. In the past three seasons, though, he has averaged a league-high 18.5 yards per reception. If Valdes-Scantling continues to be exceptional on deep passes and showcases an improvement with more intermediate receptions with the Chiefs, he believes a large reason for such success will be because of his relationship with star receiver Davante Adams, his former teammate who, via a trade this offseason, joined the Las Vegas Raiders, the Chiefs’ archrival.

“(He was) the epitome of what you want for a veteran leader,” Valdes-Scantling said. “I talk to Davante regularly. I just talked to him yesterday. We send clips back and forth to each other like, ‘Hey, what could I have done here?’ He’s a one-of-a-kind talent, but he’ll teach you everything.”

In April, Valdes-Scantling was among the group of prominent skill position players who participated in training and passing sessions with Mahomes in Fort Worth, Texas, before the Chiefs’ offseason program began. As the players began to develop their on-field chemistry, Valdes-Scantling appreciated the time he had away from the field, during lunches and dinners, to connect with his new teammates. Valdes-Scantling and Mahomes discussed their previous baseball careers. Valdes-Scantling and star tight end Travis Kelce bonded over the craft of route running. Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire learned that Valdes-Scantling has a similar passion for old-school, customized cars.

“Being able to make new friends was the most important part,” Valdes-Scantling said.

Following Thursday’s practice, Edwards-Helaire was able to offer a more in-depth scouting report on Valdes-Scantling’s skills.

“Fast, nice hands, taller than me, obviously,” said a smiling Edwards-Helaire, who is listed at 5-foot-8. “I like MVS. Even when we were in Texas, the way he explains things, you can see his years in the league. He’s so wise as far as coverages. He’s able to communicate with Pat.”

In Green Bay, Valdes-Scantling said he performed in a very specific role. This spring and summer, Valdes-Scantling is learning a plethora of aspects within the Chiefs’ offense, including Mahomes’ preferences on how he wants receivers to run certain routes, Reid’s complex passing concepts and the various receiver positions in the team’s extensive playbook.

“He’s been great,” receivers assistant Joe Bleymaier said last week of Valdes-Scantling. “He wants to know what he’s doing, why, the whole picture, the whole offense. When he gets into the classroom, you kind of see how he has gotten to where he is.”

Similar to Thursday’s practice, Valdes-Scantling promised that he will be ready, in the upcoming season, to receive the first dazzling, no-look pass from Mahomes.

But the repetition required Valdes-Scantling to answer one intriguing question: What is different about catching passes from Rodgers and Mahomes?

“There’s not much difference, one is just a little bit older,” he said smiling, referencing Rodgers’ age (38) compared to Mahomes’ (26). “I’m just super excited to have the two best quarterbacks throw me the ball. I guess I’m living right.”

Reid optimistic Chiefs will sign Brown to extension

As expected, star left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. chose to not participate in this week’s practices, and he is not expected to be with his teammates next week during the Chiefs’ mandatory minicamp. In early March, the Chiefs placed the franchise tag on Brown, a four-year veteran, to prevent him from reaching free agency while extending their time to negotiate a multiyear extension.

Around that same time, Brown began interviewing agents, hearing from plenty of them before deciding last week to hire Michael Portner, who became a certified agent in the league last year and started his agency, Delta Sports Group, in December. Portner told The Athletic on Tuesday he is optimistic the Chiefs will agree with Brown on a contract extension, one that will place Brown among the highest-paid left tackles in the league for consecutive years. Brown and Portner, however, have just a five-week negotiation window with the Chiefs to achieve their goal. The league’s deadline for both parties is 3 p.m. CT on July 15. If no deal is reached, Brown is restricted to a one-year salary of $16.6 million.

“We love Orlando here, and he’s a good professional,” Reid said. “We’ve just got to work through it. I don’t see anything that’s going to get in the way. The (deal) normally doesn’t happen overnight.”

Portner had his initial meeting with the Chiefs on Monday. The following day, Brown did a short TV interview with NFL Network to express his confidence that he will have a new contract before the deadline.

“(I’m) very confident, especially based off the things that have come into effect within our division, the type of defensive ends that have been brought in,” Brown said, referencing the AFC West’s new top pass rushers, such as Chandler Jones (Raiders), Khalil Mack (Los Angeles Chargers) and Randy Gregory (Denver Broncos). “It’s not the year to go into the season with a backup left tackle.”

During their voluntary practices, the Chiefs have split the repetitions at left tackle between Roderick Johnson, a five-year veteran, and Geron Christian, another five-year veteran.

“It’s good that he’s taken that step forward, for sure,” Reid said of Brown hiring Portner. “My thing is you just try to do what you have to do to make it right and be as honest as you can. We’re quiet about that. We try to do everything behind (the scenes) with the person that we’re involved with and not tell the world about it. Our guys are very honest and deliberate, which is something (team owner) Clark (Hunt) believes in.”

Attendance report

The Chiefs had 82 of their 90 players participate in at least one of this week’s three voluntary practices, their highest attendance yet during the organized team activities.

Brown, star defensive tackle Chris Jones, defensive end Frank Clark, right tackle Lucas Niang (rehabbing from surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his left knee), cornerback Rashad Fenton (rehabbing from minor shoulder surgery), receivers Mecole Hardman (tweaked hamstring), Daurice Fountain and rookie Justyn Ross and rookie safety Nazeeh Johnson chose to not participate in Thursday’s practice.

For the first time this offseason, rookie receiver Skyy Moore (left hamstring) and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (knee) were full participants in the seven-on-seven drills and team periods Thursday, which were open to reporters.

“He’s doing a good job of understanding what we’re trying to get done,” Reid said of Moore, who the Chiefs selected with a second-round draft pick. “Now it’s just a matter of the reps and catching up with the other guys.”

More OTA observations

1. The winner of Thursday’s practice was receiver Josh Gordon. Last season, Gordon joined the Chiefs in late September, then struggled for much of the year, producing just five receptions for 32 yards, including a touchdown, in 12 games. He was inactive for the Chiefs’ postseason run. In his repetitions Thursday, Gordon showed increased speed and caught a 50-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes as he sprinted past rookie cornerback Jaylen Watson.

“He’s running better and catching better (than last year),” Reid said of Gordon. “He’s working hard, and he’s getting reps so he can get himself back where he wants to be. He was kind of getting back into the flow of playing the game (last season) and then you’re thrown a whole new offense and he has to pick all that up.

“He looks like he’s doing better after the catch and he’s able to maneuver around in space. I think he’s lost a little bit of weight.”

2. Quarterback Shane Buechele started the practice well, throwing a 5-yard touchdown to tight end Jordan Franks, who caught the ball over safety Deon Bush. But Buechele also threw two interceptions, as cornerback DiCaprio Bootle and linebacker Jack Cochrane generated the takeaways.

3. Tight ends Jody Fortson and Noah Gray both recorded nice, leaping receptions. Fortson caught Mahomes’ pass while being covered by linebacker Nick Bolton. As for Gray, he was running an intermediate route against tight coverage from linebacker Willie Gay but was able to catch Mahomes’ pass even though he fell hard to the turf.

4. Once again, defensive tackle Khalen Saunders had multiple repetitions during the team period in which he flashed his athleticism, including jumping to knock down a pass from quarterback Chad Henne.

5. Thornhill’s best repetition was when he generated a pass breakup in the middle of the field that required proper instincts and closing speed as Buechele targeted receiver Mathew Sexton.

who wrote this? What site?

Originally Posted by Simply Red (Post 16328311)

Nice!






Not sure

Originally Posted by saphojunkie (Post 16328535)

That would be Nate Taylor of the Athletic, which is $5 a month and worth it.

Originally Posted by St. Patty's Fire (Post 16389574)

derick henry? fast? what shit list is that lol

also taylor shouldnt be at 2

Originally Posted by staylor26 (Post 16521805)

Aside from the drop, great game from him tonight. Feels like he continues to grow in this offense, and it's just a matter of time before Pat hits him on a bomb.

Originally Posted by staylor26 (Post 16521805)

Aside from the drop, great game from him tonight. Feels like he continues to grow in this offense, and it's just a matter of time before Pat hits him for a bomb.

Originally Posted by staylor26 (Post 16521805)

Aside from the drop, great game from him tonight. Feels like he continues to grow in this offense, and it's just a matter of time before Pat hits him for a bomb.

Originally Posted by TwistedChief (Post 16521823)

Agreed. He's being used in the intermediate to deep portion of the field in a way we really haven't seen the last few years from the Robinsons and Pringles.

He had an easy drop tonight but some really difficult catches. It was very, very encouraging.