NFL Late Mail: Travis Kelce injury rocks Kansas City Chiefs on the eve of the new season
This injury has the potential to have far-reaching consequences throughout the NFL.
Travis Kelce, the Chiefs’ All-Pro tight end, has been diagnosed with a hyperextended knee, and his status for Friday’s (AEST) season opener against the Lions is unknown while he receives more testing.
At least one former NFL doctor, David J. Chao, is concerned about another major injury to a superstar.
Worst case scenario: 3 letters beginning with “A,” tweeted the former head team physician for the San Diego Chargers from 1997 to 2013, explaining that this knee hyperextension could be the dreaded torn ACL that will ruin many fantasy football teams and potentially scupper the Chiefs’ Super Bowl hopes.However, it appears that the Chiefs dodged the worst-case situation.
According to various reports, Kelce’s injury is not thought to be serious, and the team will wait for the swelling in his knee to go down before assessing his Week 1 status.
Kelce, 33, has been named to the Pro Bowl eight times and has won two Super Bowls.
He has seven consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and is the Chiefs’ best passing option for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Due to a contract issue, the defending champions are also without their star defensive player Chris Jones.
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Reid stated that there has been “no progress” with the runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year.
“We’re concentrating on the men who are here. “If you aren’t there, you aren’t there,” he stated.
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Richie James has been added to the Chiefs’ injury report.
With a knee injury, the Chiefs have yet another playmaker on the injured list.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ injury list is growing rather than shrinking as the NFL season opener against the Detroit Lions approaches. Richie James, a wide receiver, is the most recent addition to the list.
The Chiefs exercised over Labor Day weekend in preparation for the Thursday Night Football opener at Arrowhead Stadium on September 7, and James was restricted in practice due to a knee issue. The team appears to be plagued by knee troubles in particular these days.
This preseason, the Chiefs have also seen wide receiver Kadarius Toney, cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, and defensive tackle Turk Wharton all suffer knee problems. In fact, it’s unclear how many snaps any of these players will get on Thursday, given the risk of re-injury in an early game. If they rest, they will have about 10 days until their next game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2.
With a knee injury, the Chiefs have yet another playmaker on the injured list.
James is of key importance on special teams now that the Chiefs have released Deneric Prince and moved receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette, as special teams coach Dave Toub underlined even in the face of his injury. The Chiefs can probably add more players to the mix, but the preseason competition was primarily between James and a few other role players vying for his primary backup.
Given that James was still limited in practice rather than sitting out entirely, and given Toub’s statements this week that James was still the primary returner, it’s safe to conclude that the Chiefs expect James to be fine.
Rookies Isiah Pacheco and Skyy Moore were both among the return candidates last year, but both should take on primary offensive roles in ’22, and the Chiefs would like to keep them fresh for the task at hand.
After a career season with the New York Giants in the face of injury, James signed with the Chiefs this offseason. With a good opportunity in front of him, James became Daniel Jones’ go-to receiver in ’22, catching 57 passes for 569 yards.
