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ST. JOSEPH, Mo. \u2014 Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is glad that coach Andy Reid is sending him onto the field with the rest of their starters when Kansas City visits the Arizona Cardinals for their preseason opener Saturday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t necessarily look forward to getting hit,\u201d Mahomes added with a smile Thursday.<\/p>\n
Getting hit is exactly why some teams have eschewed playing starters at all in the preseason. When coaches finally decided it wasn\u2019t worth the risk to their most valuable players, they began sitting them for one or two games, and last year, teams such as the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles sat them for the entirety of their exhibition slate.<\/p>\n
That has never been Reid\u2019s preference, though. Nor has it been that of Mahomes, who believes it does him some good to get hit \u2014 once, at least \u2014 so that he can get into the right mindset for the rest of the preseason and ultimately the regular season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s always a little shock,\u201d Mahomes said.<\/p>\n
Now, don\u2019t get any misconceptions. The Chiefs might only have those starters on the field for a single series in Arizona, especially if it goes well. But the plan, at least after their final practice before their opener, was that each quarterback will get a full quarter \u2014 Mahomes the first, Gardner Minshew the second, Bailey Zappe the third and Chris Oladokun the fourth.<\/p>\n
The rest of the offense would presumably follow suit.<\/p>\n
There are certainly things that the three-time defending AFC champions want to see out of their preseason opener. Tops on the list is their new-look offense line, where first-round pick Josh Simmons has already turned some heads as the new left tackle and Kingsley Suamataia has the inside track on replacing two-time All-Pro Joe Thuney at left guard.<\/p>\n
The Chiefs have invested heavily in their offensive line, both in draft capital and financial resources, over the past couple years, and the need to upgrade the left side in particular became evident in their Super Bowl loss in February.<\/p>\n
There is also some competition for the final spots at wide receiver, and some different names could get some extended looks with the first-team offense. That\u2019s because Rashee Rice is sidelined with a groin injury and Marquise Brown with an ailing ankle.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think (my advice) is go out there and do what they\u2019re doing this camp,\u201d Mahomes said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a bigger stage going up against another team, but I think Coach Reid prepares us better than anybody else in the league to go out there and play your best football. We practice hard and we practice fast so when it gets to the game, it\u2019s not that huge step up.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s still a substantial one, especially given Arizona is taking the same approach as Kansas City this year.<\/p>\n
Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon, who held out quarterback Kyler Murray and others his first two years and barely played any starters in the preseason last year, said this week, \u201cI told them (Monday) night that they are going to play.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the best thing for our team this year, honestly,\u201d Gannon explained. \u201cWe are at a good point with our health, we\u2019re at a good point with our development, and I think this year with our team it\u2019s the best thing to do for our guys.\u201d<\/p>\n
NOTES: Hall of Fame WR Terrell Owens watched the Chiefs practice at Missouri Western on Thursday. He played two seasons for Reid in Philadelphia. \u201cJust watching people grow, I\u2019m in a great position to see that,\u201d Reid said. \u2026 Former Raiders coach Antonio Pierce also has been in camp, helping longtime friend and Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. \u201cMaybe we\u2019ll ask him about some Las Vegas Raiders stuff,\u201d Spagnuolo said with a smile. \u2026 CB Kristian Fulton (knee) came off the PUP list and took part in individual drills Thursday. LB Drue Tranquill (back) also returned to practice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. \u2014 Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is glad that coach Andy Reid is sending him onto the field with the rest of their starters when Kansas City<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29939,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kansas-city-chiefs"],"yoast_head":"\n