Joe McKnight tears Achilles’ tendon, third Chiefs player to suffer injury this year

At some point in the Chiefs’ practice Thursday afternoon, running back Joe McKnight ran a passing pattern, something he’s quite adept at.

And the way offensive coordinator Doug Pederson remembered it, McKnight was matched up against a linebacker, which is exactly what the speedy McKnight wants.

But moments later, Chiefs players were treated to a sight they’ve been forced to watch all too often this season: a teammate lying on the ground, unable to stand because of a ruptured Achilles’ tendon.

McKnight is third Chief, along with defensive starters Derrick Johnson and Mike DeVito, to be felled by the devastating-but-seemingly-more-common injury in three weeks. And like Johnson and DeVito, McKnight’s injury was non-contact — a cruel twist for a 25-year-old who has faced no shortage of obstacles during his four-year professional career.

“It tugs at your heart a little bit,” Pederson said.

McKnight had his long-awaited breakout game on Sunday, when he caught six passes for 64 yards and two touchdowns.

It was a significant moment for a player who was cut by the New York Jets and missed the 2013 season following a turbulent summer that included two failed conditioning tests, an arrest for unpaid traffic violations, head injuries and some questionable posts on Twitter.

To McKnight’s teammates, his injury — the recovery period for which has not been determined, even though he’s already been ruled out for Monday’s game against New England — just didn’t seem fair.

“I mean, he just made his comeback,” said fullback Jordan Campbell, who also was McKnight’s roommate at Southern California. “I was like ‘Damn, he’s just ready to do what he’s capable of doing.’ He got his confidence back. He’s running good at practice. He’s ready to get this thing rolling and make his name here at the Chiefs’ organization.”

Instead, McKnight is the latest entry on the Chiefs’ growing list of players — six, in all — who are nursing lower-leg or foot injuries. In addition to the three aforementioned players, both safety Eric Berry and running back Jamaal Charles have high ankle sprains, while linebacker Tamba Hali has ankle and knee injuries.

But it is the Achilles’ injuries — and the fluky way three Chiefs have suffered them — that has caught the attention of players and coaches.

“Not three of the same injuries, the same way with no contact,” said defensive end Kevin Vickerson, a nine-year veteran. “Nah, I haven’t seen that one.”

All three of the Chiefs’ assistants who spoke on Friday — Pederson, defensive coordinator Bob Sutton and special teams coach Dave Toub — said the same. (Chiefs coach Andy Reid isn’t scheduled to speak until Saturday.)

But the Chiefs aren’t alone in their Achilles’ misery. Thirteen players in the league are currently on injured reserve with Achilles injuries. David J. Chao, a NFL team physician for 17 years, likes to call them “the new ACL injuries” — meaning they often happen without contact and typically require a year of recovery.

“It’s a soft-tissue injury that requires surgery and ends people’s seasons, and it’s become a dreaded word now, just like ACLs still are,” Chao said.

Chao said it’s tough to pinpoint a reason for this Achilles’ outbreak across the league. But he does have a theory.

“The main reason I think they are happening is that people are bigger, faster and stronger nowadays, and the problem is that no matter how hard you train, you can’t make your foot, ankle or Achilles’ tendon any bigger or thicker or stronger,” Chao said.

“So essentially, you keep planting a bigger tree in the same-size pot.”

From the Chiefs’ point of view, if that is the case, there’s not much they can do. Athletic trainer Rick Burkholder did not take questions Friday, but several players said they weren’t sure what’s to blame for their rash of Achilles’ injuries.

“Can’t say the guys are not in shape,” Hali said. “Guys work hard in the offseason. … These things happen. It’s a part of our game.”

If it isn’t just a fluke, Vickerson said, the Chiefs will figure out the issue, whatever it may be.

“What can you do? Guys are just by themselves, (getting hurt),” Vickerson said. “We’ve got to find out what’s the issue, what’s the problem, what’s causing it or something. We’ll find out. I’m pretty sure people in this building are trying to find out, trying to get a solution.”

The Chiefs’ coaching staff will also be trying to figure out a way to replace McKnight. With Charles banged up, McKnight emerged as a nice pass-catching complement to Knile Davis’ between-the-tackles running style on Sunday.

“He was a guy that brought some energy to that (running back) room and … a whole ’nother skill set that we were able to use this past weekend,” Pederson said. “We’ll miss his talent.”

Burkholder said McKnight was still in the evaluation process, which means the club is still trying to determine when he’ll have surgery and who will do it. For his part, McKnight wrote “Thanks for all the love” on Twitter shortly thereafter.

Rest assured, teammates like linebacker James-Michael Johnson said McKnight will receive plenty of support from his teammates for however long he’s out.

“Joe’s a good guy. He’s highly liked, highly thought-about on our team,” Johnson said. “He’ll be around.”

It appears Campbell, the former roommate, has already chipped in with a spirit-raising reminder about how far McKnight has come — as a high school star in Louisiana, his family briefly relocated due to Hurricane Katrina — and how resilient he’s already proved to be.

“I told him, ‘Man, you wouldn’t be Joe McKnight if (stuff) like this didn’t get in your way,’” Campbell said. “I told him that yesterday when he was here.

“I said ‘Man, you’ve been going through this your whole life. You know what you’ve got to do. Just come back strong.’”

This story was originally published September 26, 2014 at 12:14 PM with the headline "Joe McKnight tears Achilles’ tendon, third Chiefs player to suffer injury this year."