[Kansas City.com] It is 15 days before the plane leaves for training camp, and negotiations for the Chiefs’ first-round draft pick have crawled to a slow but congenial pace.

The Chiefs have been involved in talks with Derrick Johnson’s representatives for about a month, his agent, Vann McElroy, said Monday. Johnson, an All-America linebacker from Texas, should figure heavily into the Chiefs’ defensive plans this fall and has said he wants to be in River Falls, Wis., on time.

“That is our whole intention here,” McElroy said. “I think the team, the NFL, so to speak, puts that on the player and the agent, that the player needs to be on time. (But) they’re part of that equation, and it has to work both ways. I believe in working with teams. I also believe the team needs to work with the player, too.”

McElroy said it was important for Johnson to participate in the workouts so he could get to know his teammates and coaches. So far, he said, the negotiations have been running smoothly.