At this training camp, there's less Chris Paul than usual as the Washington guard dropped approximately 20 pounds this offseason.
The former 2022 seventh-round draft pick was in the weight range coaches like to see for his position but just felt like he "wanted to give this a try." So, he attacked the goal completely from an internally-motivated place. A different approach to his meal plan made the biggest difference, and he even described the process as "a great time."
"I just feel like I was in a Zen state, I felt more disciplined maybe than I've ever been," Paul said. "It was great to sort of check in with myself to see how I am doing and seeing, 'Wow this is really working.' It was nice to see the results I wanted to see."
The benefits of those results have already surfaced in training camp as Paul battles it out with Brandon Coleman for the left guard position.
"You've probably seen, Chris is lighter by about 20 pounds, and he's always been strong as hell. So, him being down, I think, adds to his quickness," head coach Dan Quinn said.
Paul had his best season yet in the burgundy and gold in 2025, starting in 15 games and playing 88% of snaps. His PFF pass-blocking grade of 77.4 ranked sixth among 81 qualified offensive guards. He's grown in confidence, deepened his understanding of his craft and is eager to unlock the next level of his game in Year 5.
In addition to dropping weight, Paul has looked to gain an edge by surrounding himself with most talented and experienced offensive lineman around. In the last two offseasons, the 27-year-old has decided to spend time at Duke Manyweather's OL Masterminds, an experience that has grown his appreciation for the intricacies of his position and the men who play it.
"Daily I am in a group of guards, centers, some of which are at the top of their game," Paul said. "You get to literally watch how they work and observe them and ask questions. There's times that they ask me questions about how I do stuff, and you're literally bouncing off information. That really made me fall way more in love with the game than I already was … It's the best experience I can't explain it."
Newer additions to his routine have shaped his game but so too have older practices. A key one of the latter has been journaling, a discipline that first came into his life in college at Tulsa. Paul typically sits down to journal after the day's work is done and "just takes 30 minutes to an hour to unplug."
"It could be a hard day, it could be a good day, but I'm doing it," he said. "I write down my thoughts, how my day went, maybe things that I'm verbalizing out loud while I'm by myself. Almost anything."
The catharsis of journaling has strengthened his mental toughness, a value that's been so important on his journey in football. From being drafted coming out of a smaller school to proving himself in a different coaching regime, Paul is no stranger to having to "knock down doors" for opportunities. Working on himself and trusting the process has allowed him to see hurdles and challenges as a blessing.
"No game I ever started, no nod I was ever given was just given to me, I had to fight, scrape and claw to that," Paul said. "Those types of experiences I'm super grateful for. It's just been kind of working on my mindset, just trying to turn those things that most people might view as negative or hard or might want to complain about into positive things."
