Chris Jones among Chiefs to start training camp on physically unable to perform list

Just hours after the Chiefs introduced Brett Veach as their new general manager, coach Andy Reid discussed Kansas City’s offseason Monday at the team’s training camp facility at Missouri Western State University.

Reid and head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder addressed the status of the Chiefs’ injured players entering training camp this week.

Defensive lineman Chris Jones, guard Parker Ehinger and linebacker Dadi Nicolas will all start camp on the physically unable to perform list. Linebacker Derrick Johnson and tight end Travis Kelce, who both had offseason surgery, will not be placed on the PUP list but will be monitored throughout camp.

Jones was the Chiefs’ second-round pick in 2016 and appeared in all 16 games as a rookie. Burkholder said Jones injured his knee while working out on his own in the offseason and had his knee scoped on July 12.

“He will be up here doing rehab with us, and he will start training camp on PUP, then we will just see how it goes over the next week or two,” said Burkholder, who’s worked alongside Reid since 1999.

Reid does not expect this to be a lingering issue for Jones, calling it routine. In fact, he went as far as to say he is not too worried about it.

“This is one that will be a fairly quick turnover,” Reid said. “I am not seeing this as one where he is out for an extended period of time.”

Reid appears confident in the depth at the position, in case the injury causes Jones to miss an extended amount of time.

“Nacho (Rakeem Nunez-Roches) played there last year so that’s good,” Reid said. “We will just keep on going from there and see how the depth plays out. I am not too worried about that.”

Burkholder said Ehinger, who tore his ACL on Oct. 30 against the Indianapolis Colts, is doing fine and is right on schedule.

Nicolas, a sixth-round pick last season out of Virginia Tech, was hurt in the last regular-season game. He ruptured his patellar tendon and was operated on Jan. 5.

“He (Nicolas) is also in the middle of the rehab process, or late in the rehab process,” Burkholder said. “He will start on the PUP and do work with us here.”

If a player is cleared medically during the preseason, the Chiefs can instantly remove him from the PUP list.

Johnson, who had Achilles tendon surgery after tearing it in week 13 against the Oakland Raiders, will not start on PUP.

“He will be in this camp, we will work him out and bring him along,” Burkholder said. “He’s able to do a good bit.

“We will rely on coach Reid and the coaches to monitor his reps. He will continue to do rehab with us as well.”

After appearing in every game of 2016, Kelce had his left shoulder operated on in February.

“He will also be in this camp, but not as a PUP person,” Burkholder said. “He is the same as Derrick (Johnson). We’re just going to rehab him and have him practice and monitor his reps.”

The Chiefs’ first practice open to the public is on Friday, July 28 at 3:30 p.m.

This story was originally published July 24, 2017 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Chris Jones among Chiefs to start training camp on physically unable to perform list."