Chiefs HC Andy Reid provides injury updates on 2 key offensive players before practice for Week 8 vs. Commanders begins
Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid informed reporters that two key offensive players wouldn’t practice on Thursday.
The Kansas City Chiefs have a few new injury concerns on the offensive side of the ball as they begin practicing for Week 8 on “Monday Night Football” vs. the Washington Commanders.
Chiefs rookie LT Josh Simmons remains absent from practice for personal reasons, but two key players on offense will join him with injury-related absences on Thursday.
“As far as the injuries go, the guys who won’t go today are Kareem Hunt, who has a bone bruise on his knee,” Chiefs HC Andy Reid told reporters. “He’s gonna be okay, but we’re gonna have him sit out today.”
Hunt had to be helped off the field during the Week 7 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, but eventually returned for three more short-yardage plays. I do not doubt that he’ll be good for the Week 8 game against the Commanders, given his grit and toughness. At the same time, the Chiefs can limit his role to short-yardage work and be just fine with Isiah Pacheco and Brashard Smith taking a larger dose of carries.
Another starter was absent from practice on Thursday, and his status for the Week 8 game against the Commanders seems much more up in the air.
“And then Trey (Smith), he’s got low back spasms, and so we’ll see if that doesn’t — it’s getting better,” Reid said. “We’ll just see how it goes.”
Smith, of course, left the Week 7 win over the Raiders early and was replaced by Mike Caliendo for the three quarters of the game.
During the warmup period of practice open to reporters, Hunt was spotted on the sidelines wearing a hoodie alongside CB Jaylen Watson, who was not mentioned as someone who could sit out practice. It’s worth noting that the team did sign CB Kevin Knowles to the 53-man roster on Tuesday. Both Smith and Simmons were not in attendance, per Chiefs Digest’s Matt Derrick:
Expect non-participant designations for each of Hunt, Smith, and Simmons when the injury report comes out this afternoon.
The Chiefs view Mike Caliendo as a starter if Trey Smith can’t go vs. Commanders
Whether Smith can get his back healthy enough in time for Week 8 against the Commanders remains to be seen. I’d wager the team errs on the side of caution with a big game against the Buffalo Bills on the horizon in Week 9, but also because of how they view backup OG Mike Caliendo.
“Yeah, so we’ve always looked at Mike (Caliendo) as a starter,” Chiefs HC Andy Reid said. “I think all the guys do, the coaches do. So everybody’s got confidence that when he comes in, you just pick up and go. I mean, that’s how I feel about him. I think I’m just speaking for the gang here.”
Chiefs OG Mike Caliendo’s Week 7 Stats
- Snaps: 65
- Penalties: 1
- Sacks: 0
- Pressures: 0
Caliendo was the team’s best offensive lineman by the numbers in Week 7 against the Raiders. Understandably, the team has a renewed sense of confidence in his abilities. With a full week of practice under his belt, the team would be able to work on errors like the mistimed snap count that Caliendo jumped on during Week 7.
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