The Kansas City Chiefs returned two players to practice on Thursday, their final practice in the United States before heading to Frankfurt, Germany this afternoon. There was, however, a concerning development with another player. 

Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon (groin) and LB Willie Gay Jr. (lower back) both returned to practice on Thursday after missing the first practice of the week with their respective injuries. WR Richie James (knee) continued to practice after being designated to return from injured reserve on Wednesday. 

One player sat out of practice with an illness, which raises some concerns about how seasonal illness could impact Kansas City on this long road trip. 

Clyde Edwards-Helaire misses practice with an illness

Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) was the only player that the team's PR staff said would miss practice on Thursday. This isn't the first time that he's missed practice with an "illness" this season. However, it's not clear if this is something related or if he's caught one of the many seasonal illnesses going around right now. 

Patrick Mahomes battled the flu in NFL Week 9, and he is all good now according to Andy Reid. Matt Nagy iterated that Mahomes would have not played only if he was extremely sick and had absolutely no energy. Mahomes insisted that he was good to play in Week 8 and wasn't putting himself or the team at risk.

All of that said, the nature of this trip to Germany must bring up some level of concern about seasonal illnesses with players being in close proximity and whatnot. The last thing you want to do is have a player like Edwards-Helaire get the entire team sick on their flight over to Frankfurt. Look for the team to be really cautious with this illness if it does happen to be something that is transmissible. 

Tommy Townsend update

Townsend was a bit of a surprise addition to the injury report on Wednesday. He was listed as a limited participant in practice with a hand injury. The team's local beat reporters noted that Townsend was present at practice. He was spotted wearing a wrap on his injured hand during the portion of practice open to the media, which suggests he'll be at least a limited participant again on Thursday. What's notable is that the team has yet to make any practice squad additions at the punter position, and you all remember who the team's emergency backup punter is. 

Check back later for the latest injury report from practice:

Player	Injury	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Game Status
RB Jerick McKinnon	Groin	DNP	LP
LB Willie Gay Jr.	Lower back	DNP	LP
P Tommy Townsend	Hand	LP	FP
WR Skyy Moore	Heel	FP	FP
WR Kadarius Toney	Toe	FP	FP
S Mike Edwards	Elbow	FP	FP
QB Patrick Mahomes	Left hand	FP	FP
CB L’Jarius Sneed	Knee	FP	FP
WR Justin Watson	Elbow	FP	FP
WR Richie James (IR)	Knee	FP	FP
RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire	Illness	–	DNP	–	OUT

KEY: DNP = Did not participate | LP = Limited participation | FP = Full participation | NIR = Not injury related

Observations:

• The Chiefs have already ruled out RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire. He will not make the trip to Germany. 
• Both Jerick McKinnon and Willie Gay Jr. were limited on Thursday. That should give them opportunities to play in Week 9. 

For more information on the Dolphins' injury situation, check here.

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