Chiefs’ Juan Thornhill placed on IR; Ryan Hunter elevated from practice squad
Rookie safety Juan Thornhill’s rookie campaign is officially over.
The Kansas City Chiefs announced that Thornhill, who suffered a torn ACL in the team’s regular-season finale, has been placed on injured reserve.
To fill the roster spot, the Chiefs elevated guard Ryan Hunter from the practice squad ahead of Sunday’s AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Houston Texans.
The 6-foot, 205-pound Thornhill joined the Chiefs as a second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and went on to start every game the past regular season as part of the Chiefs’ revamped safety group.
With Thornhill and Tyrann Mathieu entrenched on the back end of coverage, the Chiefs made a remarkable turnaround defending against the pass to finish the regular season ranked eighth in the league, an improvement from a 31st ranking in 2018.
Thornhill finished his rookie season with 57 tackles, three interceptions and five passes defensed.
The Chiefs have in-house options to replace Thornhill with second-year safety Armani Watts and cornerback Kendall Fuller, who can also play safety. Veteran safety Daniel Sorensen, who is part of the Chiefs’ three-safety personnel package, should also remain heavily involved.
The elevation of Hunter provides the Chiefs depth on the offensive line.
Hunter appeared in three games this season before being waived in the week leading to Week 6. The Chiefs re-signed the 6-foot-3, 316-pound Hunter to the practice squad on Oct. 11 after he cleared waivers.
