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ST. JOSEPH — Dontari Poe wasn’t the only 300-pound-plus player to join the Chiefs on the eve of training camp Thursday.
The team also signed 301-pound offensive tackle Tony Ugoh, a former second-round pick by Indianapolis. Ugoh also played for Detroit and the New York Giants in his five NFL seasons.
Ugoh’s signing isn’t as significant as Poe’s, at least not immediately. The Chiefs are set at starting tackle with two veterans, Branden Albert on the left side and Eric Winston on the right.
But until signing Ugoh, the Chiefs had no other tackle with significant NFL experience. Their top reserve at tackle in offseason practice was rookie Donald Stephenson, a third-round draft pick.
The addition of Ugoh gives the Chiefs some insurance in case they decide Stephenson isn’t ready to be the first tackle off the bench when the regular season begins.
Position change for Daniels
Travis Daniels, mostly a cornerback in his three seasons with the Chiefs, was a starting safety during offseason practice. The normal starters, Eric Berry and Kendrick Lewis, were not practicing because they were rehabbing after surgeries.
The Chiefs are expecting Berry and Lewis to practice when training camp begins today. The Chiefs also added two safeties, veteran Abram Elam and rookie De’Quan Menzie.
Daniels said he expects to remain at safety.
“We haven’t had any talks about that but I’m just assuming it will be the same role as it was in (offseason practice),” he said. “Just knowing my talent and ability and things like that, I look forward to probably moving around in the secondary.
“I felt very comfortable. At the end of the day, it’s football. Being a defensive back, one thing I’ve always tried to pride myself on is being able to be versatile. I never really want to be that person that only could play one thing. The way you can maximize all your opportunities is being able to play multiple positions.”
Expecting a tougher camp
The Chiefs did little hitting in last year’s camp. The team had been unable to do hold any offseason practices because of the lockout, and the response by then-coach Todd Haley was to spend more time on conditioning than football when camp began.
The Chiefs are expecting a different camp when practice begins Friday.
“I’m quite sure it’s going to be physical,” wide receiver Terrance Copper said. “It’s football.”
Defensive back Jalil Brown said, “(Because of) the whole lockout last year, we got a late start. This year, the guys have a little bit of time under their belt, and the rookies and the team does together. We can get started a little faster this year. I definitely think this year will be a little faster.”
