Chiefs Coordinator Quotes
July 30, 2025
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR STEVE SPAGNUOLO
Q: On Ashton Gillotte’s progress
SPAGNUOLO: “Oh great, Ashton (Gillotte) has been great. I think we’ve got him in one spot now because we want him to just learn the defense as a defensive end, but I’m hoping at some point we can move him around a little bit – I don’t know if we will get to that this year or that’ll be down the road. But he’s one of those guys that I call a natural knee bender and he’s a big guy, but I think he has got a lot of power from the hips down and I think he’s a natural knee bender and that usually means you’re a pretty good football player. Just got to get the mental part going for all these young guys.”
Q: On the combination of heat and pads and how it affected the defense.
SPAGNUOLO: “Yeah when I was looking at each guy – I’m always looking to see if they are in shape. The guys that have it the toughest in a practice like that are really the linebackers and the defensive backs. I mean, you guys watch the practice. I mean offensively a receiver might run a long ball and he’s off to the side and somebody else comes in, that doesn’t happen with us (the defense), so we are consistently in and out of the huddle. I thought for the most part they held up pretty good. What will be really interesting to me, you know, we had the three hard days, we had today was 10-10-10 – we get the day off. The tough day to come back is the next one, you know after you’ve had the day off so I’m looking for them – if we can ramp it up on that day, I’ll be pretty happy.”
Q: On Kristian Fulton’s injury and how it impacts his plan.
SPAGNUOLO: “That just means other guys get more reps. We’re going to have to find out what we have in Kristian Fulton because he has missed a lot of time. It’s not like you step right in here in a multiple system like we have and know what you are doing, so it may take a little while to get him ramped up but we’re anxious to get him back and get more competition at that spot.”
Q: On finding undrafted linebackers and developing them (Cooper McDonald and Brandon George).
SPAGNUOLO: “Yeah, both those guys (Cooper McDonald and Brandon George) – I don’t know how early you guys get out to practice, but if you are early to practice or early to a walkthrough you are going to see those three young linebackers always out there working on something, mentally, and that’s because that position in this defense takes a lot of volume and you got to be really smart from the chin and the hairline and those two guys in particular have done a really good job. Coop (Cooper McDonald) was a really good find. If you remember, we got him in the rookie minicamp as a three-day tryout guy, and I thought in the one on ones against the running backs he did a nice job yesterday.”
Chiefs Player Quotes
July 30, 2025
WR JUJU SMITH-SCHUSTER
Q: On being a leader on the team and the responsibility that holds.
SMITH-SCHUSTER: “I mean, it’s a huge responsibility. You know, I take it pretty seriously. You know, we’ve got a bunch of young guys in the room, different ages; and you know, for me it’s a big responsibility for me. I take full control. I think I lead by, you know, not just by my words, but by my actions. And, you know, like I said there’s a lot of guys, a lot of experience, different ages, and everyone’s coachable, so, you know, I’m glad to take (on) that responsibility.”
Q: What was the biggest thing you learned from the older guys on the team when you were young?
SMITH-SCHUSTER: “Honestly, I think the biggest thing is like, you’re learning how to take care of your body, learning how to, study your playbook. For me, I kind of took that when I first started, into the league, because it’s a lot different (from college). Colleges, the hashes are much bigger, the alignments (are) a lot different. In the NFL it’s all about, your alignment, your assignment, and being able to go every single day. And I think that’s huge, right? And I think it has kind of paid off for me as far as, you know, being able to still play this game.”
Q: What are your impressions of Jalen Royals?
SMITH-SCHUSTER: “Man, Jalen Royals, man, he’s a rookie who is very strong, quiet dude but works really hard. I don’t know if you guys know, but he, when he’s out there, he’s aura farming and I think that’s something that you guys don’t get to see a lot. He’s a guy that’s going to show up every day and just work. You know? He doesn’t say a whole lot. He’s very coachable. He’s a sponge. He’s a great dude to be around in that room.”
DB CHAMARRI CONNER
Q: What do intense practices in the heat like yesterday’s do for you later in the season?
CONNER: “It does a lot for you. When it gets tough, you (can) always think back to those times when you had to push through (when it’s) hot outside. When it’s the fourth quarter, you can go back to that mindset of just having to push through when it’s hot, you’re tired, you got a lot of plays and just keep going.”
Q: What are the challenges of playing multiple positions?
CONNER: “I mean it’s something that I enjoy doing, (it’s) something I’ve been doing for a while now. So, I don’t see too many challenges with it, personally – but it’s definitely something I’ve been trying to continue to get better at."
Q: What did you work on this offseason?
CONNER: “Every year is always really the same for me. Get stronger, work on your speed. I did a lot of footwork, of course. (I did) a lot of DB work.”
DE CHARLES OMENIHU
Q: What stands out about Omarr Norman-Lott and Ashton Gillotte?
OMENIHU: “Yeah, I think starting off with Omarr (Norman-Lott), Omarr has great use of hands, very explosive, I noticed early on that he is able to grab wrist, something that it took me about three (or) four years to do that. Ashton (Gillotte) is just a guy that is going to go hard. You know exactly what you’re going to get from him. He is a guy that just wants to learn, and he is a guy that has a lot of power, so that is something he can use to his advantage as he continues to fill out his game in the league.”
Q: What have you learned about Josh Simmons so far?
OMENIHU: “(Josh Simmons is) a very good athlete. He knows his strengths, and he plays to them. I think he has a bright future, you know what I’m sayin? He is a guy who is a great athlete, and you can see why he is the first round pick.”
Q: You haven’t been able to play Week 1 with the Chiefs due to injury. How much are you looking forward to playing in an opening game?