Chiefs Coach Admits Player Isn't 100% After Returning From Injury

The Kansas City Chiefs were given a surprise last week when Harrison Butker had an early return from injury.

After landing on the injured reserve in November, the Chiefs' No. 1 kicker made his return in Week 15's 21-7 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Butker, 29, went a perfect 3-of-3 on his extra-point attempts but showed some rust when he missed a 29-yard field-goal try towards the end of the first half.

Considering how he was automatic from inside the 30-yard line before last week, it's understandable if Chiefs fans are worried that something is still bothering Butker. Well, as it turns out, that seems to be the case based on the latest news coming out of Kansas City.

Chiefs Injury News: Harrison Butker Not 100% Healthy

Following Wednesday morning's practice, Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub told A to Z Sports' Charles Goldman that Butker still isn't feeling 100% despite his return to action.

"(Butker is) not 100%, but he's close," Toub said. Having said that, the 62-year-old special teams expert made it clear that he doesn't blame any lingering issues for Butker's missed field goal in Week 15. If anything, the Chiefs coach is taking the blame for the miss.

"I've got to do a better job communicating to the holder and snapper that we're going to kick the field goal. It wasn't (Butker's) injury," Toub added. "Anytime you get an operation out of sync, that puts a toll on everyone. I'll take the blame for that."

Butker's botched attempt was the first time in his NFL career that he missed an attempt shorter than 30 yards. Before that outing, the ex-Georgia Tech product had gone a perfect 57-of-57 from inside that distance.

Even though he wasn't perfect in his return, the Chiefs are still happy to have Butker back in the fold. The 29-year-old specialist has been reliable throughout his eight-year run with Andy Reid's team, connecting on 88.8% of field-goal attempts and 94.6% of extra-point tries during that stretch.

Nevertheless, hopefully, Butker's field-goal accuracy approves down the stretch. The Chiefs need their kicker to be reliable throughout the postseason if they want to win a third straight Super Bowl. Butker hasn't exactly been consistent this season, though, as his 85.7 FG% is the second-worst success rate of his career.

Butker has an opportunity to get back on track when the Chiefs host the Houston Texans in Week 16. Finding success could be easier said than done, though, as the Texans are giving up the eight-fewest kicking points per game this season.

As for the Chiefs, their outlook is promising as they're currently the 3-point home favorites over the Texans on FanDuel Sportsbook.

More Chiefs news and rumors: