Mansoor Delane didn’t suit up for the Chiefs on Sunday night, and now the reason looks a lot clearer.
Kansas City beat the Indianapolis Colts 33-30 in overtime without him, but head coach Andy Reid said Monday that Delane was in that awkward middle ground where the team was trying to protect him without shutting the door entirely.
"He was right on the border of, 'All right, you can get in and play a full game and/or, if we can, get it to calm down a little bit more and maybe he's better this week.' It was a tweener position to be in, but he wanted to suit up and, if needed, he could have gone in," said Reid. "But we were trying to keep him from having to play a full game in there for sure."
That explanation fits with the bigger picture around Delane, whose health has been a concern from the start. He was active in Week 1 for the Chiefs’ season-opening win over the Denver Broncos and even picked off a pass on the first series of his NFL career. But the play ended with Delane landing awkwardly on his shoulder while trying to pick up a few more yards on the return, and he was eventually ruled out after being listed as questionable.
The shoulder issue tied back to a previous shoulder blade injury that first showed up at OTAs in the spring. Delane missed all of mandatory minicamp while watching from the sideline, then sat out weeks of training camp in St.
Joseph while wearing the yellow non-contact jersey. He later got the green light for padded work and finally made his debut in Week 1.
Sunday showed why the Chiefs may want to keep taking their time. Kristian Fulton started in Delane’s place for the second straight game, and the defense had trouble slowing a Colts team that looked better on the field than it did on paper. Fulton had a shaky day, and the Chiefs’ secondary gave up enough for the need at corner to feel pretty obvious.
That’s where Delane’s value comes in. Reid’s comments suggest Kansas City is willing to be cautious if that helps avoid a setback, even if it means more waiting. A trip to face the Miami Dolphins could be next on the calendar, though the Chiefs are clearly handling the situation as it develops.
The schedule doesn’t give them much room to breathe. In Week 4, Kansas City goes to the Las Vegas Raiders for its second straight road game before a Week 5 bye. Delane could be ready by Sunday in Miami, but nothing sounds rushed.
When he does return, the Chiefs believe the defense can take a real step forward. L’Jarius Sneed was beaten in coverage multiple times against Indianapolis, and Fulton was flagged a couple of times for substantial yardage. Delane should help settle that down.
And beyond what he means for the rest of the secondary, there’s the simple fact that Kansas City made a major investment in him. The former LSU cornerback was the Chiefs’ earliest pick since they took offensive tackle Eric Fisher first overall in 2013, and the team moved up from No. 9 to No. 6 to get him.
As the top-rated corner prospect in the draft class, Delane is expected to bring the kind of lockdown presence the Chiefs lost when they traded Trent McDuffie to the L.A. Rams last spring.
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