The Kansas City Chiefs can’t seem to avoid the injury bug in 2024.
LT DJ Humphries
With a glaring need at left tackle, the club was excited to welcome veteran left tackle D.J. Humphries to the lineup this past Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers. However, the 31-year-old could only manage 86% of the game’s snaps before leaving midway through the fourth quarter due to a hamstring injury.
Second-year lineman Wanya Morris took it the rest of the way, handling the final nine snaps of the Chiefs’ game-winning drive. On Monday, head coach Andy Reid said Humphries would undergo an MRI. On Wednesday, he provided an update.
“D.J. Humphries won’t practice,” revealed Reid. “Again, we haven’t listed him as out or anything there, so we’re just going to take it day-by-day and see how he does. Every day, he’s gotten a little bit better, so we’ll see how all that works.”
During the brief media look, Humphries could be seen stretching, but it’s likely he did that before engaging with the team’s athletic trainers. If Humphries cannot play against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, the Chiefs would turn to Morris — or once again slide left guard Joe Thuney out to tackle, with Mike Caliendo taking his place at left guard.
K Harrison Butker
The Chiefs placed kicker Harrison Butker on their Reserve/Injured list back in mid-November due to meniscus surgery. Kansas City used a combination of Spencer Shrader and Matthew Wright over the last four games, and now Butker is eligible to return to the lineup.
“We’re going to see how he does here,” said Reid of his starting kicker. “He’ll have a few snaps out there.”
Butker’s return opens up a 21-day window where he can practice without adding him back to the active 53-man roster. There seems to be a chance he could return this weekend against the Browns if all goes well.
CB Joshua Williams
Chiefs cornerback Joshua Williams — who left Sunday’s game against the Chargers due to a chest injury — was back on the practice field Wednesday.
WR Hollywood Brown
The prevailing thought has been that wide receiver Hollywood Brown, who suffered a sternoclavicular joint dislocation during the preseason, would return to the practice field at some point in mid-December.
“He’s getting close,” said Reid, providing an update on Brown. “He’s champing at the bit to get back out there, but he’s got to visit with the doctors and make sure that he gets clearance there, but I’d probably say he’s getting close. [I] can’t give you a date. I don’t know a date on it, but he says he feels great.”
Though it likely won’t be this week for the wide receiver, there appears to be optimism for his return sometime soon.