The Chiefs’ injury picture shifted a bit on Wednesday, and the biggest name trending the right way is Mansoor Delane.
Andy Reid said the cornerback would practice in some capacity after leaving Monday night’s 31-10 win over the Denver Broncos when he came down hard on his shoulder following an interception on the game’s third play. During the brief media viewing period, Delane was stretching and warming up with teammates, and Reid said there is a “pretty good chance” he will be available Sunday night against the Indianapolis Colts.
Not everyone is moving back onto the field yet. Reid said defensive back Chamarri Conner, dealing with a knee issue, and left tackle Josh Simmons, who has a back injury, are “making progress” but will stay out of practice for now.
That keeps the Chiefs’ depth chart in motion on both sides of the ball. With Conner out against Denver, third-year safety Jaden Hicks played every defensive snap. And if Simmons can’t return for “Sunday Night Football,” rookie Kahlil Benson is set up for a second straight start at left tackle.
Reid was encouraged by what he saw from Benson last week. “I thought for the most part he did a nice job,” Reid said of Benson.
“There’s some things he’ll work on and get better. But for your first go-around, not a bad job.
And Kingsley (Suamataia), there’s a relationship that they’ve developed, and you’ve got to have that. He’s out on the wing and Kingsley’s got to be a transmitter to him with what Creed (Humphrey) calls or what Kingsley sees.
“I thought they handled that good. But again, you gotta stack all that as you go.”
Patrick Mahomes also gave the Chiefs some encouraging news after his first game back from a torn ACL and LCL. The quarterback said his knee held up well and that the soreness he’s feeling is showing up more in other places.
“I feel normal,” he said. “Actually - I mean, it’s like a blessing and curse.
You get sore everywhere else because you haven’t played football in so long. And so the leg is like the least of my worries right now.
So I’m just excited to be out there and playing. At the end of the day, you don’t know until you get out there and play, and I was able to go out there and play.
“I feel good today. So now it’s about getting in the ice bath or whatever it takes to be ready for the Sunday night game.”
The roster also changed on the move side. Reid said the Chiefs placed linebacker Cooper McDonald, who has a knee injury, on injured reserve with a designation to return after four games. In a corresponding move, fullback Ben VanSumeren was promoted to the active 53-man roster.
Kansas City also added defensive end Michael Heldman and cornerback Melvin Smith, both of whom spent training camp with the team, to the practice squad.
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