The Kansas City Chiefs have gone to great lengths to try and plug the hole at safety in the defensive backfield this offseason. Beyond Eric Berry, the Chiefs coaches didn’t have any players they could plug into the starting lineup.

Since head coach Andy Reid and GM John Dorsey took over, they have added ten players that could get a look at safety. That’s in addition to the four already on the roster.

The first safety signed by the new regime? That would be Husain Abdullah, the former Minnesota Vikings starter who sat out all of last season while he was on a religious pilgrimage.

Abdullah was an undrafted free agent out of Washington State in 2008 and slowly worked his way onto the field. In his final two years with the Vikings, the safety started 24 games before making the decision — along with his brother, former Arizona Cardinals safety Hamza Abdullah — to take a year off in order to make a trip that was centered around time in Saudi Arabia.

The Chiefs safety talked to ESPN this week about his trip and return to the game he loves. Abdullah tried to return at the end of last season, but when teams were concerned about his readiness, he decided to wait until 2013 and quickly found a home in Kansas City.

“It’s as fun as ever,” Abdullah said. “To get the opportunity to be back is really special. I’ve really enjoyed the entire experience.”

Despite so many safeties being added since the signing of Abdullah, Dorsey is happy to have him around the team.

“He is one of the most refreshing guys I know,” Dorsey told ESPN. “He is mature beyond his years. He has great self confidence. He is a wise, intelligent, deep guy. He is clearly spiritual and it’s neat thing to have a guy like Husain in our program.”

As the battle plays out throughout OTAs and into training camp for the starting spot next to Berry and then to fill out the depth, don’t count out Abdullah. He doesn’t just bring to the table NFL experience, but the fight of a rookie trying to hold onto a career.

Maybe it’s his new big, fat contract, the new coaching staff or just the typical optimism that runs rampant throughout the league at this point of the year. Whatever the reason, we once again got to see WR Dwayne Bowe in his most comfortable setting: star of “The Bowe Show”.

The show was one of the most popular programs in Kansas City, but had been off the air for quite some time. After Wednesday’s practice, it came back with a vengeance talking about just how good he and RB Jamaal Charles could be.

“(Charles) is going to lead the league in rushing this year and I’m going to lead the league in receptions and touchdowns,” Bowe said.

The main reason why the receiver is so sure the Chiefs offense is finally going to turn things around? Head Coach Andy Reid, of course. A man Bowe already feels comfortable calling my by his nickname, of course.

“Big Red, he’s demanding perfection,’’ Bowe said. “If you want to be a championship team, that’s what you’ve got to demand. Guys are coming out here and minimizing mistakes every day, so that’s a step toward being great.”

No one seems to enjoy being great as much as Bowe. Unfortunately we rarely got to see him bask in greatness much with the lack of an NFL caliber quarterback throwing to him last season. He only topped 100 yards twice and found the end zone just three times in 13 games.

Most of us can agree there’s no need for any player to jump around and point to the name on their jersey during a two-win season. But I think this offense will be best served by bringing a very high level of swag, if you will, into training camp and carry that through the preseason and regular season.

Not because of anything he did on the field, after all he missed all of last season with an injury. But with the Chiefs looking to address their lack of depth at cornerback and safety, it seemed like the 2012 fifth-round would get a chance to finally show what he could do.

Instead he will get his chance with the Detroit Lions. Menzie was awarded to the team on waivers and joins another defensive backfield going through an overhaul. Look for him to contribute at multiple positions as the Lions attempt to climb out of the NFC North basement.

After staying away from the Kansas City Chiefs offseason program in April, Branden Albert was back with his teammates on Tuesday. And he was back in a familiar spot: left tackle.

Just where Albert would play if he returned to the team was a source of friction with the team and nearly led to a trade before the draft. But with the talk of trade in the past (for now), all parties seem content to move forward.

“Through this whole process, I realize I made mistakes,” Albert told reporters Tuesday. “I’ll grow from it and move on. I should not have said certain things. You know what I said. I’m just happy I’m here.’’

The man that nearly took his job in the starting lineup on the left side seemed to make quite the impression on Albert.

“He’s going to be a special player,” Albert said of No. 1 overall pick Eric Fisher. “He works hard, he has all the tools and whatever he’s going to play, he’s going to be good at it.”

“I want him to know I’m going to help him the best way I can.”

The two tackles working together is a plan that Fisher is absolutely on board with.

“It will be like a (left and right) tackle competition, trying to push each other to be the best,” Fisher said. “I think that’s what’s really going to help this line is competing every day and trying to develop a really good offense.”

And just like that, hopefully we can put the animosity on the back burner, at least until this time next year. Let’s see Albert and Fisher work together to keep Alex Smith upright much more than the Chiefs quarterbacks have been the last few years.

Jackson was a teammate of Chiefs receiver Jonathan Baldwin at Pittsburgh and went undrafted last year. He spent time with the Indianapolis Colts, Washington Redskins and Giants. Jackson will join a crowded defensive backfield that head coach Andy Reid and GM John Dorsey have gone to great lengths to improve.

Reid is familiar with Reynolds who spent all season on the Eagles practice squad. Before he made his way to Philadelphia, Reynolds was with the Carolina Panthers during training camp after going undrafted out of BYU. He should have the advantage when it comes to snagging one of the Chiefs practice squad spots.

The 2012 fifth-round pick only appeared in one preseason game, recording three tackles. He landed on injured reserve and missed all of his rookie season before being released just prior to the first full team workouts on Tuesday.

The Chiefs have focused heavily on the defensive backfield during the offseason, putting Menzie in a difficult position to get reps after missing a year of football. He did, however, come with a great pedigree out of Alabama, making it a bit surprising that he wouldn’t at least get a look over the summer.

By my count, 11 of the 32 picks Pioli made while in Kansas City are no longer with the Chiefs. That number is likely to grow as Andy Reid and John Dorsey plug in “their guys” as the offseason continues.

Ault was the head coach at Nevada when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was running the offense. The veteran coach doesn’t know if he’ll be helping to install that offense with the Chiefs. In fact, he isn’t sure what his job will be.

“I told Coach (Andy) Reid, ‘Whatever I can do to help you win a Super Bowl, I’ll do it,’” Ault told RGJ.com.

That means he could be doing most of his work with defensive coordinator Bob Sutton as the Chiefs try to slow down NFL offenses running the pistol. Of course, he could also be dedicating the majority of his time to work with Reid to install Smith in the pistol, something the former Nevada coach said he would be “excellent” for.

Terms of the one-year contract weren’t released, but Ault pointed out taking this job “wasn’t about the money”.

A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Ault has never worked with an NFL team, despite multiple teams using elements of the offense he helped to create. After he retired in December, this seemed like a logical fit.

“It’s an opportunity to get a feel for the NFL. (Reid has) hired an experienced staff. The timing is exciting,” Ault said. “I’m going to learn an awful lot about the NFL.”

And we are going to start learning a lot about just what Reid has planned for Smith and the Chiefs offense. There are certainly no shortage of weapons for the Kansas City offensive coaches to work with and that all starts officially Tuesday when the rookies and veterans work together as OTAs kick off.

Head coach Andy Reid and GM John Dorsey welcomed DT Risean Broussard, DB Greg Castillo, DT Miguel Chavis, DB Justin Glenn, RB Jordan Roberts and DB James Rogers to the roster.

Of the group, Broussard seems to be the most intriguing. The former high school dropout ended up playing just one season of football at the JUCO level. But in that one season the Lake Charles, Louisiana native had 61 tackles and six sacks in just eight games. Though he’s a project, even by undrafted free agent standards, he is worth watching during OTAs.

In addition to adding six player, the Chiefs also released three, with Eachus the most recognizable name. After coming to Kansas City as an undrafted free agent out of Colgate, Eachus fought his way onto the field and into the starting lineup. The fullback appeared in 11 games, including two starts, picking up 18 yards on five carries and caught one pass for 19 yards.

The Chiefs added two fullbacks — Braden Wilson and Anthony Sherman — leaving little room for Eachus.

The Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up their three-day rookie minicamp Sunday, but the offseason program is just beginning for the players that will stick around for the OTAs kicking off this week.

As the rookies are joined by the veterans, there were four players that seemed to catch the eye of head coach Andy Reid. And they varied from the top overall pick to an undrafted free agent.

Obviously all eyes will be on offensive tackle Eric Fisher this summer as he looks to make the transition from left tackle to the right side. Reid told reporters Sunday he liked what he’s seen so far.

“Eric, I thought he looked smooth. Every day he was a little bit better,” Reid said. “You saw him become more comfortable at that spot. You can tell his athletic abilities. He is smooth, he is a big man that can move and bend. You know, you and I, we’re big guys, sometimes it’s tough to bend, but he can do it and move.”

Fisher wasn’t the only draft pick to stand out during the weekend. Both of the Chiefs fifth-round picks seemed to make a good first impression with their new coaches.

LB Nico Johnson could have the inside track on a starting spot next to Derick Johnson and he’s gotten off to a good start.

“He was a good college player and it looked like he did some nice things out here. He’ll get in there and compete with Akeem (Jordan) and they’ll work it. Akeem, obviously, has the advantage over him with the experience, but Nico is a talented player.”

DB Sanders Commings also showed he might be able to contribute out of the gate.

“It was good to see Commings work at safety. He’d been predominantly a corner, but he had played a little bit of safety. It was nice to see the progress that he made as he went on. We feel like he can still play corner but he gives us the flexibility to play that free safety position. It looked like he handled that fairly easily.”

In addition to the Chiefs draft picks, there was an undrafted free agent that stood out. Even though he won’t have a chance to see the field even if he makes the roster, Reid liked what he saw.

“Tyler Bray had a nice day today; I think that is obvious. He made some nice throws down in the red zone. He has to continue to make progress, but he did some nice things.”

We’re going to see plenty of Fisher and Johnson even as the veterans come to town and the same could go for Commings, but it will be very interesting to see how many reps Bray is able to grab. After all, Alex Smith and his backup, Chase Daniel, are both going to need as many reps as possible to feel comfortable in Reid’s offense.

While how difficult that transition is continues to be an ongoing debate, former Chiefs great Will Shields believes the rookie can pull it off if needed.

“Some people make it more complicated than it can be,” Shields told The Star. “It just depends on how good you are as an athlete. How are you going to work at it to make yourself work on both sides. In high school, I played left. Then, all through college, I played right. It depends on your mental makeup of ‘Hey, can I switch sides …’ What are you going to do [to] win a job, that’s what it comes down to.”

If the Chiefs decide they are keeping Albert on the left side for one more year before installing Fisher long-term, Shields knows the choices facing the team are simple.

“The other guy either sits on the bench or you put him on the other side, and say, ‘Hey, you have to buck up and earn that other job.”

Not only do I think Fisher will “buck up”, but he can be one of the best right tackles in the NFL by the time his rookie season comes to a close. That is, of course, assuming the Chiefs are still unable to find a landing spot for Albert before training camp rolls around.