A Chiefs situation worth monitoring: projected O-line starter missed practice Tuesday
The Chiefs have officially switched to regular-season mode with a little more than a week remaining until they host the Houston Texans on Sept. 10.
The only thing missing in the past two days has been an official NFL injury report, which the Chiefs aren’t required to release until after they establish their initial 53-player roster.
Coach Andy Reid, though, still provides updates about players not practicing. And on Tuesday, he mentioned an interesting name.
Offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele, who signed a one-year deal in the wake of Laurent Duvernay-Tardif’s decision to opt out of the 2020 season, missed practice with what Reid called a “stiff neck.”
“We’ll probably pull off of him,” Reid said.
Osemele’s status will be closely monitored before the Chiefs play the Texans, as he projects to be an important piece of the Chiefs’ offensive line as their likely starting left guard.
Osemele previously missed two straight days of practice during training camp with a shoulder injury. Of note, the veteran lineman’s 2019 season with the New York Jets ended early because of a shoulder injury.
During the portion of Tuesday’s practice that was open to the media, Osemele was observed standing off to the side while his teammates went through on-field workouts.
There’s time before the regular season begins, of course. But if Osemele is unavailable for the season opener, the Chiefs would likely turn to veteran Mike Remmers, a versatile offensive lineman who took snaps at both guard positions and left tackle during training camp.
Recently signed center Daniel Kilgore (non-football injury) also didn’t practice Tuesday — he was observed on the field wearing his jersey and a baseball cap. Exactly when Kilgore, who joined the team during the last week of training camp, might be cleared to practice is unknown.
“Rick’s (Burkholder) got all the protocols that he has to go through and all that,” Reid said of Kilgore. “So, we’ll see where he’s at with this right now.”
Offensive lineman Martinas Rankin, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last season, remains on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list while he continues his rehabilitation process.
The Chiefs must trim their roster to 53 players by Saturday’s league-wide deadline. Starting Sunday, they’ll begin game-week preparations and practices for their opener at Arrowhead Stadium.
