Charvarius Ward misses second straight day of practice ahead of Chiefs-Chargers game
Chiefs starting cornerback Charvarius Ward’s availability for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers is up in the air.
For a second straight day, Ward (fractured hand) missed practice Thursday along with defensive end Alex Okafor (hamstring) and defensive tackle Khalen Saunders.
The Chiefs have one more practice Friday, and might have to plan for Week 2’s game without Ward if he misses another on-field session. His availability for Sunday will become clear on Friday’s injury report when the Chiefs have to assign a game designation, such as out, doubtful or questionable.
If Ward can’t play, the Chiefs will turn to cornerbacks Rashad Fenton, Antonio Hamilton and rookie L’Jarius Sneed to do the heavy lifting. Rookie BoPete Keyes is also on the active 53-player roster to provide depth, and the Chiefs have cornerbacks Chris Lammons and rookie Lavert Hill on the practice squad.
Saunders, a key contributor in a rotational role on the defensive front, is reportedly expected to miss up to a month of action following his elbow injury in the Chiefs’ season-opening win.
The Chiefs have depth on the edge behind Okafor with Tanoh Kpassagnon and rookie Mike Danna. The team could also choose to have Taco Charlton and Demone Harris dress for Week 2 after both players were inactive in Week 1.
Starting center Austin Reiter (knee), guard Kelechi Osemele (ankle), safety Juan Thornhill (knee), running back Darrel Williams (hamstring) and defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (ankle) put in a full practice for a second straight day.
For the Chargers, defensive end Joey Bosa (triceps) returned to a limited practice after missing Wednesday. Running back Justin Jackson (quadricep) and tight end Donald Parham Jr. (illness) missed a second straight day of work.
Guard Trai Turner (knee) put in a full practice Thursday after being limited the previous day, while cornerback Casey Hayward Jr. (knee) and wide receiver Mike Williams (shoulder) continued to practice fully.
The Chargers earlier in the afternoon announced that starting center Mike Pouncey (hip) was placed on injured reserve.
This story was originally published September 17, 2020 at 5:01 PM.
