2 min read • August 14, 2021
Posted in
Kansas City Chiefs
QB Patrick Mahomes -
The former MVP and Offensive Player of the Year suffered a significant turf toe injury last year that required surgery after the season/Super Bowl. The lingering effects were apparent in the postseason and Super Bowl. He also suffered a vagus nerve injury in the playoffs, but did not miss a game. Turf toe surgery typically carries a six-month timeline for recovery, which would put a tight timeline on a training camp return for Mahomes. However, he seems to have recovered well and avoided the PUP list at the start of camp. Mahomes finished last year with 4,740 passing yards, 38 touchdowns and six interceptions.
RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire -
The stud rookie had a down year by his standards, rushing for 803 yards and four touchdowns in his rookie season. Edwards-Helaire also added 36 catches for 297 yards. He suffered through a stomach virus that caused him to miss Week 13. Edwards-Helaire was awkwardly forced into the splits on a goal-line run in Week 15 and sat out three games with a hip/ankle listing. He returned in the divisional round, but never fully looked like himself during the Super Bowl run. He is healthy now and perhaps poised to reach his full potential in his sophomore campaign.
RB Jerick McKinnon -
The former Vikings RB played all 16 games last year for the 49ers after missing the last two seasons. McKinnon has a lengthy significant injury history, but is looking for a role in the Chiefs high-flying offense after three disappointing seasons in San Francisco. In our 2019 Preseason injury preview, we were correct to be down on McKinnon's season since he was coming off an ACL tear and needed platelet-rich plasma injections. However, we could not have anticipated a second surgery that caused him to miss all of the 2019 season. Our pessimism for 2020 also proved true. The natural history of an ACL recovery usually goes smoothly, but when it doesn't, the rocky road persists. Generally speaking, any player that misses two seasons rarely returns to be impactful. Before his health declined, McKinnon put up over 500 rushing yards in both 2016 and 2017 while displaying above-average catching ability in his short career with Minnesota. We hope to be proven wrong, but we are not high on the 29-year-old McKinnon, except for spot roles, given his history of knee issues.
WR Tyreek Hill -
The Kansas City Chiefs’ star wide receiver missed practice due to tendinitis in his knee. The wideout tried to play through practice before leaving early. The team reports it was just precautionary, but anytime there is an absence of a star player it is noteworthy. Teams are typically conservative at this time of training camp, especially with a veteran star player of his caliber. We are not particularly worried about a minor tendinitis issue, except that it can become chronic. If it does, it obviously would affect and linger into the season. Hill was back at practice after missing just one day. The goal is to limit chronic issues. This may take more days, but Hill should be ok moving forward. He will look to match his production from last year, when he caught 87 passes for 1,276 yards and 15 touchdowns.
OL Laurent Duvernay-Tardif -
The Chiefs’ right guard, who has a medical degree and opted out of last season to help fight COVID-19, suffered a broken bone in his hand at practice. The timeline is four-to-six weeks and the season is only four weeks away. However, we feel there is a great chance that he will be ready to play, even if he has a cast on his hand. After missing a year, we don't see how he doesn't start the season despite the hand injury.
OL Kyle Long -
The oft-injured guard came out of retirement to help the Chiefs improve offensive line but suffered a setback as there are reports he suffered a fractured knee cap. The reason for retirement was his injury history and this dampens the mood as he will unlikely be ready for the start of the season.
LB Willie Gay Jr. -
The 2020 second round rookie LB played in all 16 games in the regular season, but left the final game of the season with an ankle sprain. The injury was deemed significant enough that he missed the entire playoffs and was placed on IR before the Super Bowl. His ankle is fine, but he did suffer an early training camp concussion, causing him to miss valuable practice time. He finished his rookie season with 39 combined tackles and one sack.
DE Frank Clark -
The stud edge rusher has been dealing with off-field issues but has been active in practice until suffering a hamstring injury recently. Expect the defensive end to sit out practice and maybe even the preseason based on how severe the injury is. We will monitor the situation as he is a key part of the Chiefs defense.
CB L'Jarius Sneed -
The rookie CB impressed before missing six games early in the year with a fractured collarbone. Sneed returned in Week 11 and played the rest of the season, providing solid depth in the Chiefs’ secondary. The clavicle is not an issue going forward. Sneed posted two sacks, three interceptions and 41 combined tackles in his rookie campaign.
CB Mike Hughes -
The new Chiefs signing has had an injury-plagued career so far and is looking for a fresh start. Hughes should provide depth, if he can stay healthy. In 2020, the former number one corner for the Vikings continued to deal with a neck injury that has bothered him since the 2019 season finale, when he suffered a cracked vertebrae. A torn ACL limited him to 20 games in his first two seasons and the recurring neck injury limited him to just four games in 2020. This could be a key addition for the Chiefs as there is a good chance the injuries that detoured his career are behind him.
Written by
