Kamal Hadden Updates Status on Shoulder, Training with Nic Jones

Following a serious shoulder injury last fall, Hadden feels good to get back in the swing of things at Chiefs training camp.

Kamal Hadden participates in a drill at Tennessee Pro-Day in Knoxville, Tenn., Wednesday, March 27, 2024. / Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY

At long last, the Kansas City Chiefs' first full-team training camp practice of 2024 is here. Before that, though, general manager Brett Veach's rookie class got a chance to work during the week and continue adjusting to life as pros.

It also served as a runway for previously injured players to keep working their respective ways back into the fold. Cornerback Kamal Hadden, a sixth-round pick back in April, falls under that umbrella as the month of July rolls on.

In his senior campaign with Tennessee, Hadden appeared in just seven games. A shoulder ailment cut his year short, putting him on the shelf for a while thereafter. Nevertheless, he recovered in time to string together a respectable pre-draft process and become the 211th pick.

Speaking to the media this weekend, Hadden declared that he's "back" and expanded on finding value in his time off.

"I feel back, man," Hadden said. "I feel like I'm back. It's really good to be back on the field. I feel like I'm faster, I feel like I'm stronger and, mainly, I feel like I'm smarter. The game took me out, but it helped me grow mentally and helped me grow as a man and as a player."

Despite the offseason departure of L'Jarius Sneed, Kansas City still has plenty of cooks in the kitchen at the cornerback spot. Leading the way is Trent McDuffie, who the league views as one of the very best in all of football. Behind him, the duo of Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson figures to compete for the No. 2 cornerback job. Watson is opening camp on the physically unable to perform list, however, as he recovers from a shoulder procedure of his own.

That leaves Nazeeh Johnson, Ekow Boye-Doe, Nic Jones, Kelvin Joseph and Hadden as depth options. Safety Chamarri Conner could fulfill the slot role, which has yet to be decided. Simply put, the back-to-back champs have an embarrassment of riches at cornerback. Hadden says that as he continues to pick things up, he's had some help along the way. Jones is doing everything he can to help flatten the learning curve.

"Actually, me and Nic Jones are from Michigan," Hadden said. "I train with him a lot, and just asking him questions every day when we train and bouncing things off of him while we're training, just asking him any little things to help a rookie come in. He was a rookie as well. Just asking him little things like that every day while we train – whatever we do, we do. Just little things at a time, little by little."

Hadden's appreciation for his peers is something that stands out early on. His coaches are also near and dear to him. Following the draft, the former Volunteers standout said defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo "sees a lot" in him and is a "legendary" leader. During the first week of camp, the rookie is spending some time on the inside, which is a bit of a new role for him. During his college career, he logged just 25 combined snaps in the slot. He trusts the tutelage of defensive backs coach Dave Merritt, who Hadden says he "truly looks up to."

With veterans now at camp, it's full steam ahead for both sides of the ball. Things won't get any easier, but Hadden is embracing a full-capacity workload and appears ready for the challenge.

"I've learned a lot, man," Hadden said. "They pretty much throw everything at you. You've got to learn everything, learn as much as you can and just keep working and keep your head in the books."

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