Kansas City Chiefs: Expect return of key players soon
By Ben Almquist
There may not be a team more racked by injuries this year than the Kansas City Chiefs. However, they may be getting some key players back in the next few weeks.
The Kansas City Chiefs suffered their first loss of the season this past weekend. You would not be wrong to say that a major reason for that was the mounting number of injuries the team has suffered this year. Fortunately, we should be seeing the return of key players in the next few weeks.
The big news is that this week marks the first time that players on the preseason Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) and Non Football Injury (NFI) lists are eligible to return. For the Chiefs, that means Tamba Hali and Dadi Nicolas are able to return, if healthy. That can be a solid boost to the KC pass rush, which has struggled to be consistent this year.
Partially included there is cornerback Steven Nelson who started the season on Injured Reserve (IR). Nelson is able to return to practice now, but won’t be available to play for another two weeks. Still, it’s good news (supposing he’s ready to practice) for the Chiefs that Nelson will be available soon.
Offensive Line Help Needed
While the defensive reinforcements will be much appreciated, I think we can all agree it’s the offensive line that needs help. We are still waiting for Mitch Morse, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, and Parker Ehinger to get back in the mix with the offensive line. We saw last week just how important the interior offensive line really is.
Mitch Morse and Parker Ehinger have already been back practicing, so hopefully their returns are imminent. Just getting Morse back would have a solid effect as the Chiefs could move Zach Fulton to a guard position. Moving Ehinger back into the left guard spot would also help out the line quite a bit.
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Laurent Duvernay-Tardif seems to be the furthest out for the offensive line. That is going to continue to be a concern moving forward. However, the fact the Chiefs didn’t put him on IR means they do expect him back sooner rather than later.
If you’re asking for my guess, I think that at least Mitch Morse and Parker Ehinger should be back for next week’s game.
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When going over the return of so many important players, it’s important to remember just where the Kansas City Chiefs are at right now. Sitting at 5-1, the Chiefs have the best record in the AFC. They are also one of just two teams in the entire NFL with only one loss…oh, and the other team is the Eagles, who KC beat.
The fact that Kansas City is winning games against some of the top teams in the NFL with so many injuries is incredibly impressive. You would be hard-pressed to come up with any team that has had as many injuries as the Chiefs have this year. It would be easy for them to have already rolled over this year.
The key moving forward though will be getting these key players back into the mix. The Chiefs team we have seen over the past few weeks won’t be the same team we see later in the year. That has the potential to be a very good thing for Kansas City.
The Kansas City Chiefs have shown their mettle this year in how they’ve overcome so many injuries. However, getting some of their key players back in the mix is definitely important. The Chiefs team we are watching now has the potential to get even better very soon.