Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reed is looking forward to seeing Tyreek Hill in training camp on Saturday.
Reid told reporters on Tuesday that the Pro Bowl receiver/returner will be welcome when he shows despite an offseason of turmoil as the NFL investigated child-abuse allegations against Hill before announcing Friday that he didn’t violate the league’s personal-conduct policy.
“Let’s talk about Tyreek,” Reid said during his opening statement to reporters at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph’s, Mo. “I know that’s a hot topic. The law enforcement side of it, there’s been statements made on that. There’s been statements made by the Chiefs. There’s been statements made by Tyreek and with all those, we obviously, we’re comfortable with Tyreek coming back here. …
“We look forward to bringing him back here and having an opportunity to get back and doing what he loves to do. He has some obligations that he’ll take care of as he goes and I’m not going to get into all that. I’m going to kind of end it after this here.
“You’ve all read all the statements, as we have, and we have the trust in Tyreek and we’re going to go forward in a positive way.”
Kansas City suspended Hill from its offseason program in April. At the same time, Hill and then-fiancee Crystal Espinal were being investigated by authorities after their 3-year-old son allegedly suffered a broken arm.
Reid said he has been able to discuss the situation with Hill.
“I’ve had a chance to talk to him, on the phone, in person. I spent quite a bit of time with him, actually,” Reid said. “He’s remorseful that he’s had to put all of us through what we went through and he had to go through. That’s a sensitive situation. He wants to get back and he wants to do what he needs to do to be a father and to be a player here. He’s very conscious of that.”
Hill has certainly been productive in three seasons after the Chiefs selected him in the fifth round in 2016. He has 223 catches for 3,255 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also has rushed for four scores and has five return touchdowns (four punts, one kickoff).
Shortly after Hill was cleared last Friday, quarterback Patrick Mahomes said he got together with Hill to throw him passes and work out.
“He’s in an excited mindset, I guess you would say,” Mahomes told reporters. “He’s ready to be out here and be a part of the guys and get to enjoy this. You always stay in touch with your teammates, with guys you’ve built relationships with. We stayed in touch with him as much as possible … and it was good to welcome him back now and be a part of the team and we can build the team we want to build.
“He’s obviously a great football player and more than that he’s a good friend of mine and someone I work with a lot. So I’m excited to have him back out here with us and building that chemistry even more.”
Also, defensive tackle Chris Jones skipped offseason workouts and could be a holdout. Jones had a career-high 15.5 sacks last season in his third NFL campaign but is slated to make just $1.2 million this season.
“Our people have talked with Chris’ people and there’s been communication there,” Reid said. “And so, we’ll just see whether he’s here or not here. We obviously want him here, and he probably wants to be here too.
“We’ll see how all of that works out.”
