Chiefs’ Andy Reid confirms fractured ankle for Taco Charlton, but non-committal on IR
The Chiefs are officially done with their off-week and have entered game-preparation mode for Sunday’s rematch at Las Vegas against the Raiders.
While the team is recharged, there are lingering concerns on the health front, specifically with defensive end Taco Charlton, who suffered an ankle injury in Week 9.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid confirmed Monday that Charlton has a fractured ankle, which the defensive end announced on Twitter, but stopped short of saying Charlton would be placed on injured reserve.
“I’ll get that to you when we put out whatever we’re going to put out there,” Reid said. “But he did hurt it and he did fracture it, so we’ll see what we do from that point.”
The Chiefs aren’t committing to placing Charlton on injured reserve at this time, but such a move might be a formality. The recovery timeframe for a fractured ankle, depending on severity, is “at least 6 weeks for the broken bones to heal,” according to the AOA Orthopedic Specialists’ official website.
Such a timeline would project the Chiefs to be without Charlton until late December at the earliest, if all went well with his rehabilitation.
Charlton joined the Chiefs on a one-year deal during free agency and appeared on his way to jump-starting his career. The former first-round pick from the 2017 NFL Draft became part of the Chiefs’ pass-rush rotation and totaled seven tackles, two sacks, four quarterback hits and a forced fumble in seven games. His two sacks are the third-most on the Chiefs’ defense behind Chris Jones (5.5) and Frank Clark (4).
While Chartlon’s status remains in the air, the Chiefs appear set to welcome back a defensive player sooner than later.
Rookie cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, who has been out with a shoulder injury since Week 3, returned to practice on Nov. 4 while remaining on injured reserve. The designation opened a 21-day window for the Chiefs to make a decision on whether to activate Sneed to the 53-player roster or keep him on injured reserve.
So far, so good for Kansas City’s fourth-round pick from earlier this year. He could be available against the Raiders if the Chiefs elect to activate him from injured reserve before Sunday’s game.
“He’ll be back and working with us this week,” Reid said. “We’ll just see how he does.”
The Chiefs have some other players to keep an eye in the coming week, too. They’ve been without right tackle Mitchell Schwartz (back) and wide receiver Sammy Watkins (hamstring) for multiple games.
Schwartz hasn’t played since Week 6, while Watkins missed four straight games before the off-week.
Reid mentioned last week that Schwartz’s and Watkins’ status would depend on their availability for practice.
This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 1:58 PM.
