Camp report: Wichita native Blake Bell battles for spot; rookie praises Mahomes
With an uncle and father who played in the NFL, tight end Blake Bell also seemed destined to play in the league. Maybe even with the Chiefs.
Bell’s uncle, Mike, was a Chiefs defensive end for 12 seasons, starting in 1979 when he was the second overall pick in the draft out of Colorado State.
Blake grew up in Wichita and used to attend Chiefs games with his family.
“Since was I really young,” Bell said. “I have picture with Tony Gonzalez back when I was young.”
Bell, a former four-star quarterback from Bishop Carroll High, became a tight end as a senior at Oklahoma. But at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, he was a weapon on the goal line. He lined up at quarterback earned the nickname “Belldozer.”
He was a fourth-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2015 and had been with the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars before signing with the Chiefs in April. Bell has 30 career receptions in 50 games.
He is getting plenty of reps in the early days of training camp for newcomers, quarterbacks, rookies and players recovering from injury. He looked good at Thursday’s practice and didn’t drop a pass.
And the backup tight end position is open. Deon Yelder is the only other player on the roster who has taken snaps with the Chiefs. David Wells, Nick Keizer and Jody Fotson are competing. The Chiefs also terminated the contract of tight end Neal Sterling following Wednesday’s practice.
“I’m here to battle it out,” Bell said.
At practice
Quote of the day: Asked about catching passes from quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the league’s reigning MVP, rookie running back Darwin Thompson compared him to a machine.
“You know those jug machines we’re on in practice?” Thompson. “A real life jug machine, that’s Patrick Mahomes.”
Also notable:
- Thursday’s 90-minute workout ended with kickoff coverage. Jack Fox, who received guaranteed money to sign with the Chiefs as a punter, handled the kickoff duties. Mecole Hardman was the return man.
- Though defensive lineman Chris Jones hasn’t been around the team during the offseason program due to ongoing contract negotiations, he’s still been a major presence in the life of rookie Khalen Saunders. The fellow defensive lineman said after Thursday’s practice that Jones has been giving him advice on maintaining a healthy diet for losing weight throughout the summer.
This story was originally published July 25, 2019 at 12:15 PM with the headline "Camp report: Wichita native Blake Bell battles for spot; rookie praises Mahomes."