CHIEFS ALL-PRO TE, TRAVIS KELCE, IN DOUBT FOR OPENER AGAINST DETROIT WITH HYPEREXTENDED KNEE
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is doubtful for the Chiefs’ opener against the Detroit Lions after he hyperextended his knee in practice on Tuesday, head coach Andy Reid told the media yesterday.
“As far as injuries, Kelce hyperextended his knee today,” said Reid. “We’ll just see how he does going forward.”
The Chiefs officially listed Kelce as limited in Tuesday’s practice with a knee injury, along with wide receiver Kadarius Toney and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. As first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Chiefs believe Kelce’s ACL is still intact. There’s inflammation in his knee and the team will re-examine it on Wednesday to determine Kelce’s availability for the game on Thursday.
The injury could possibly end the eight-time Pro Bowl tight end’s streak of nine seasons without a missed game due to injury. After his rookie year in 2013, Kelce hasn’t missed a single game due to injury and has been a healthy scratch twice. The former Cincinnati Bearcat has only missed one game due to COVID and could see his remarkable durability record come to an end this week.
While a hyperextended knee to the Chiefs’ best pass catcher only two days away from the start of the regular season isn’t ideal, the team believes it’s not a long-term injury and they intend to wait for the swelling to go down and go from there. This means Kelce could still play on Thursday if the swelling is reduced and the knee feels good prior to the game.
2021 fifth-round pick Noah Gray and nine-year veteran Blake Bell are next in line if Kelce isn’t ready to go. Without Kelce, the Chiefs’ top targets are likely to include wide receivers Skyy Moore and Marquez Valdez-Scantling, along with running back Jerick McKinnon.
Head coach Andy Reid also told reporters that there’s been “no progress” in contract talks with defensive tackle Chris Jones with Thursday’s NFL opener against the Lions looming.
Jones has been a holdout all summer and isn’t expected to return to the team if both parties fail to reach some sort of agreement. According to multiple reports, Jones is seeking an amount close to or equal to Aaron Donald’s $31.7-million-a-year, league-best non-quarterback contract.
“We’re focused on the guys that are here and getting ready to play the Lions,” Reid said on Tuesday. “That’s where I’m at. If you’re not there, you’re not there. Unfortunately, that’s the name of this game. You can’t spend time [on that]. You’ve got to exhaust your time on the team that you’re playing so that’s where we’re at.”
Jones is one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL and would like to follow Commanders’ Daron Payne, Titans’ Jeffrey Simmons, Jets’ Quinnen Williams, Bills’ Ed Oliver, and Giants’ Dexter Lawrence in being among the defensive tackles that got big-money contracts this offseason.
Jones and the Chiefs have, however, been unable to come to a contract agreement all summer and seem unlikely to do so before Thursday night. As it stands, the Chiefs now both have key players Chris Jones and Travis Kelce as massive question marks for the team’s week one opener at home against Detroit.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
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