3 Chiefs impressing as training camp standouts, 1 loser from camp so far

Kansas City Chiefs training camp is well underway and several standouts have already turned heads, but one player is not making a strong early impression.

Expectations could not possibly be higher for the Kansas City Chiefs as the franchise comes off of its second Super Bowl victory of the Patrick Mahomes era. But with those expectations, there are also some major changes that the club is having to endure.

The Chiefs are rebuilding the wide receiver corps after the past two offseasons have seen the departures of Tyreek Hill, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman. Chris Jones is holding out of Chiefs training camp as he eyes a deserved new contract. Kansas City is also replacing both of its starting tackles from last year too.

That has put a ton of eyes on Chiefs training camp. And in doing so, there are already several players who are turning heads. So let’s take a look at three Chiefs standouts from training camp so far, but also at one player who has left way too much meat on the bone thus far as well.

Chiefs training camp standout No. 3: Deneric Prince, RB

By all accounts, the running back hierarchy for the Chiefs isn’t really in question. Isiah Pacheco took control of the RB1 last season as a seventh-round rookie and, though he’s been dealing with a hand injury early in training camp, he’s expected back before Week 1. Behind him is Jerick McKinnon. who was re-signed this offseason, and former first-round pick (and bust) Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

UDFA signing Deneric Prince is trying to crash that party, though.

Prince has been turning a lot of heads with his burst and versatility thus far in training camp, particularly with his pass-catching ability and speed out of the backfield.

https://twitter.com/allchiefdup/status/1686914172674617346?s=46&t=Lx0j8euDd0G35FQPhfreKA

He’s also already got the attention of a pretty important voice in the locker room, that of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The all-world signal-caller heaped praise on what the former Tulsa star is capable of, via Chiefs Wire.

"“He can catch the ball in the backfield, he can run the ball really well, and he’s getting better and better with the protection stuff, so I think they’re just continuing to get him reps,” Mahomes explained. “We’re going to have a deep running back room, and it’s always good to have those guys that we can trust to be in there for the big moments of the game.”"

Prince has also seen time playing with the first-team offense in Pacheco’s absence and has also gotten work as a kick returner as well.

That special teams ability could be key to him making the 53-man roster. But with the way Edwards-Helaire has underperformed in his career to this point, Prince turning heads could give the Chiefs front office a tough decision come cutdown time.