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ST. JOSEPH, MO. -- In the Kansas City Chiefs' preseason opener Saturday against the visiting Seattle Seahawks (4:30 ET), coach Andy Reid will continue the quarterback juggling act that was the routine at training camp for the last week. There are five quarterbacks on the 90-man roster and Reid wants to get all five on the field against the Seahawks.
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Starter Alex Smith will play the first quarter or less, with recently signed Nick Foles hitting the field in a Chiefs uniform for the first time in the second quarter with the second-teamers. He will play until halftime, then Tyler Bray, Aaron Murray and Kevin Hogan will get the second-half scraps.
The rotation is an indicator that after just a week in camp, Foles moved into the No. 2 seat behind Smith. His 35 NFL starts are one of the most important reasons that Foles was signed after being released by the Los Angeles Rams.
"We have about 403 pass plays so I don't expect him to have every one of those down," Reid said of Foles. "We've been going at this since April and he's only been here about a week, so it's understandable. I would say about half of it he's comfortable"
Foles is familiar with parts of Reid's scheme from his rookie season in 2012 with the Philadelphia Eagles. But familiar does not mean it's all right on the young quarterback's fingers.
"We have so many different plays and the playbook just keeps growing, and it will keep growing throughout the year," Foles said. "You have to break it down in segments, whether it's the formations, the motions, the shifts, the protection, the concepts, the audibles, whatever it may be you just try to break it down and understand them and then before long once you understand that you can plug it all together."
The Chiefs will be missing at least five starters for the preseason opener because of injuries.
--Inside linebacker Josh Mauga pulled a groin last week. Mauga has missed four of the last five practices with the K.C. offense.
--Cornerback Phillip Gaines continues to slowly work his way into more snaps with the Chiefs defense. Gaines is coming off a torn ACL and surgery from last October. He is cleared to practice, but the team is taking a slow approach to his return. "We're gradually bringing Phillip back in," Reid said. "We took him out yesterday, he came back today and we gave him a little more work."
--Outside linebacker Tamba Hali (knee) is expected to hit the practice field for the Chiefs before the start of the regular season. "Tamba is making steady strides," said general manager John Dorsey. "He's begun to do the linebacker movement drills. I would foresee within the next couple of weeks him coming out and participating in practice." Hali is currently on the team's PUP list due to an offseason knee surgery from January.
--RB Jamaal Charles (knee) continues to wait out the preseason on the PUP list for the Chiefs. Charles has made a lot of progress in his rehabilitation from a torn ACL and surgery, and the club says he could return to the practice field at any point. "I would say within the next couple of weeks, he will be ready to suit up in pads," said Chiefs general manager John Dorsey.
--OLB Justin Houston (knee) and his status for the 2016 season remain unknown.
"In the next couple of weeks we can get a more accurate feel for where he is and where his deadline is or target date would be," said Chiefs general manager John Dorsey. "I don't think you want to just throw an arbitrary date out there. I think you want to watch him move, watch him do all his things and then get the feedback from the medical experts and the trainers. ... Who knows? You give me a couple of weeks and I can give you a little bit more definitive answer."
Meanwhile, the Chiefs expect their missing franchise player, safety Eric Berry, to report for practice in the next week or two as the schedule heads to the regular-season opener on September 11.
"The agent has said ... at some juncture during this course he will show up here," said general manager John Dorsey this week. "I haven't talk to Eric one-on-one about when he's going to show up. Knowing what a prideful professional he is, I think he will show up at the appropriate time.'
The Chiefs and Berry were unable to reach an agreement on a long-term contract before the league's deadline in July. The parties cannot negotiate on another contract until after the season is completed in January. Berry's absence from the team's training camp has not improved his negotiating leverage. He will be paid $10.8 million for the coming season, as soon as he signs the franchise-player tender offer.
