Will Chiefs DB Chamarri Conner, LT D.J. Humphries play in Week 17 vs. Steelers? Andy Reid provides early injury updates
Due to the quick turnaround of the Kansas City Chiefs' Week 16 game against the Houston Texans and their Week 17 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach Andy Reid was questioned about the status of two injured players on Thursday. Both DB Chamarri Conner and LT D.J. Humphries were ruled out of Saturday's game against […]
Due to the quick turnaround of the Kansas City Chiefs' Week 16 game against the Houston Texans and their Week 17 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach Andy Reid was questioned about the status of two injured players on Thursday.
Both DB Chamarri Conner and LT D.J. Humphries were ruled out of Saturday's game against the Texans. Conner is dealing with a concussion suffered in Week 15, while Humphries pulled his hamstring in Week 14.
Reid was first asked about Conner, who was given a chance to play as he's in the midst of working his way through the NFL's return-to-participation protocols.
"There's a chance Wednesday, but right now, he's still in the protocol and going through it," Reid said of Conner. "He's doing better every day, so we'll just, we'll have to see definitely though out for this game.
If you're unfamiliar with the NFL's concussion protocols, you can learn about them here. Given that he has yet to practice, he's likely still in the early stages of protocols like symptom-limited activity or aerobic exercise.
Conner will cede snaps to rookie DB Chris Roland-Wallace in Week 16 due to his absence. They might not feel the need to rush Conner back to action with such a quick turnaround time if Roland-Wallace performs well. There's also new practice squad CB Steven Nelson to consider. He'll have a couple of weeks in the system and could be elevated to the active roster if needed.
Could Chiefs' D.J. Humphries return as starting left tackle in Week 17?
In regards to Humphries, Reid was asked whether he'd be inserted back into the starting lineup when healthy. Wanya Morris filled in at the end of the Week 14 game, but Joe Thuney was the starter at left tackle for Kansas City in Week 15.
It seems that Humphries will eventually return as a starter, but the team will proceed with extreme caution. There is a sense that the team rushed him back on the field without enough time to get fit after being cleared from a season-ending knee injury that occurred late in the 2023 NFL season.
"Yeah, we've just got to let that hamstring heal," Reid said of Humphries. "A bit cautious (because) I don't want him to go out and do it again. But yeah, eventually, he'll get back in there and get going."
Could Humphries' return to action come in Week 17 against the Steelers? Reid isn't ruling out the possibility, but it doesn't sound like he's quite there yet in his recovery from the hamstring injury.
"There's a chance, there's a chance," Reid said. "But, I mean, literally, he's been going out and running to see, to test it, but he just doesn't have that explosion right now. But it's getting better as we go."
Ultimately, the team's urgency to get Humphries back on the field might come down to whether or not they get another solid performance out of Joe Thuney at left tackle in Week 16 against the Texans.
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