ST. JOSEPH Bryan Bulaga Jersey , Mo. (AP) — Even the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs is excited to see what Patrick Mahomes II can do.

Clark Hunt doesn’t seem worried about putting too much pressure on his young quarterback, either.

The chairman and most visible face of the ownership family said after Saturday’s training camp session at Missouri Western State University that he’s looking forward to seeing Mahomes under center when the Chiefs open their preseason schedule Thursday night against Houston.

He’s is eager for what the second-year pro can do for seasons to come, too.

“There’s a lot of excitement here in Kansas City and really around the country about Patrick. He is a young man with a lot of skills, has a very high ceiling,” Hunt said. “He’s going through the process in learning what it means to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. That learning process will continue during the preseason and I’m sure once we get to the regular season.”

Mahomes is taking over on a full-time basis from Alex Smith, who was traded to Washington despite the best year of his career. And the fact that Kansas City is pinning its hopes on its first homegrown quarterback in a generation has energized an already fervent fan base.

Season-ticket sales are robust, and there were about 6,000 fans at practice on Saturday.

“It’s very exciting for the franchise from a long-term perspective,” Hunt said. “If you can develop your own quarterback who can play at the top of the league, you can create an opportunity over the course of a decade to win a championship, and that’s what we hope Patrick does for us.”

No pressure, kid.

Hunt has also noticed what many others have this offseason: Chiefs coach Andy Reid has an extra bounce in his step Matt Ryan Jersey , a byproduct of the fun he’s having working with a new, young quarterback.

“I know that’s a hard thing to imagine when you’re talking about Andy,” Hunt said in his annual training camp availability, “but truthfully he seems energized. And that goes all the way back to the preseason, the chance to take a quarterback and mold him, something he’s had a lot of success at.”

In other news, Hunt declined to discuss the dispute between the league and its players when it comes to protesting during the national anthem. “There’s really nothing to report,” Hunt said. “Until the league tells us what the policy is, there’s nothing really to talk about.”

Hunt did say he’s spoken to the Chiefs individually and collectively about social justice initiatives, and that the organization was willing to provide human resources and financial resources to help players make a difference with causes that they care about.

“That’s not something new for the Chiefs. It’s something that’s been going on here in Kansas City since my dad brought the team here in 1963,” Hunt said. “I’ve challenged the players to go out there and make a difference, and there’s so many that have a great heart and want to spend the time.”

Hunt also said the Chiefs are content with using Missouri Western as their training camp base Travis Benjamin Jersey , even though the majority of NFL franchises now hold camp at their usual practice facility.

Hunt and Reid both like the old-school idea of team-building that occurs at camp, even though it’s only an hours’ drive from Kansas City. Missouri Western has also built and improved its facilities to the point they rival most major colleges and professional franchises.

He also praised the work done by general manager Brett Veach, who has made several controversial moves since taking over last year. Among them was dealing talented but temperamental cornerback Marcus Peters to the Rams, a clear attempt at improving the clubhouse culture.

“One thing we really care about as a franchise is the culture and character of the team,” Hunt said. “That’s something very important to Brett. As he brought in players in free agency and the draft, he made sure those players would be positive contributors to the character of the football team.”

NOTES: OLs Cam Erving (knee) and Eric Fisher (shoulder) did not practice, nor did LBs Reggie Ragland (knee) and Anthony Hitchens (hamstring). None of the injuries to the four starters is thought to be serious. … CB Keith Reaser (quad), LB Tanoh Kpassagnon (heel) and FS Leon McQuay (hamstring) were limited in practice. It’s unclear if any will play in the preseason opener.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Landry Jones, Josh Dobbs and Mason Rudolph can do the math.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have four quarterbacks in training camp. They’ll carry three at most into the regular season.

Translation: one of them will be out of a job when rosters are trimmed to 53 on Sept 1. The goal over the next three weeks for all three of Ben Roethlisberger’s backups is to make coach Mike Tomlin’s decision on which one to let go as tough as possible.

So far, so good.

Jones and Dobbs each threw for touchdowns in Pittsburgh’s preseason-opening victory over Philadelphia on Thursday night while Rudolph kept the offense moving throughout the second half.

Tomlin praised their respective play, noting they accounted for just one turnover — Dobbs’ interception — and overall efficiency after combining to complete 20 of 29 passes for 252 yards and the two scores.

“Largely they did a good job of taking care of the ball, and that’s important Jordy Nelson Jersey ,” Tomlin said.

“The communication, and getting people lined up — I think maybe we only burned one timeout during the course of the game. So those are some of the things that you look for, first time out particularly when you’re talking about young quarterbacks in conjunction with other young people. And I thought they represented themselves well.”

Rudolph, a third-round pick in April, played the entire second half and while he spent a portion of it scrambling for safety behind an offensive line littered with third-stringers.

He lost a fumble that was recovered by a teammate — ball security has been an issue during camp — but also showcased what he can do when he hit former Oklahoma State teammate James Washington for a 35-yard gain on a free play after one of the Eagles jumped offside.

Rudolph, who finished 7 of 12 for 101 yards and led the offense to three Chris Boswell field goals, figures he should probably make looking for his longtime friend a priority going forward.

“I think throwing it to (James Washington) a little bit more could help,” Rudolph said.

“I still had a lot of clean plays, checked it down when I needed to, push the ball down the field. I think our offensive line did a great job all night opening up lanes for our young backs. I believe I had a great experience.”

Like Rudolph, Jones used a hard count to get a Philadelphia player to jump offside. While Rudolph turned it into a long gain, Jones turned his into a 72-yard touchdown to JuJu Smith-Schuster.

“That cadence is a weapon for us Richard Sherman Jersey ,” Tomlin said. “We’ve done it for a number of years now. It’s good to see the young guys do it.”

Dobbs hadn’t taken a snap in a game since the end of the 2017 preseason and likely needs to put together something special during camp to convince the Steelers to keep him. He rebounded from the interception by leading a near-perfect two-minute drill at the end of the first half. Dobbs completed 6 of 9 passes in taking the Steelers 75 yards, the last 29 coming when he stepped up in the pocket and threw a dart in the end zone to a leaping Damoun Patterson.

“Obviously, when you get to get more snaps with the football, the comfort level increases, so you’re able to go out there and just play football rather than thinking so much,” Dobbs said. “So it definitely felt good to get out there.”

The Steelers also got out of the game relatively injury free. Offensive lineman B.J. Finney — filling in while veteran Ramon Foster recovers from a hyperextended right knee — is dealing with a quad contusion.

Other than that, the AFC North favorites head into their final full week at Saint Vincent College healthy and eager to take another step forward next Thursday in Green Bay and with no real clarity yet in the derby behind Roethlisberger.

Considering the way all three reserves did in Philadelphia, there are worse problems to have.

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