Willie Gay Jr. returns to KC Chiefs’ practice, but Chris Jones, Armani Watts sit out
The Chiefs were down a couple of defensive players for Wednesday’s practice ahead of Sunday night’s game against the Buffalo Bills. But Kansas City also welcomed back a trio of players who have missed time in recent weeks.
Defensive end Chris Jones (wrist) and safety Armani Watts (illness) did not practice Wednesday. Jones has appeared on the team’s injury report with his wrist injury in recent weeks but hasn’t missed any games, totaling seven tackles, two sacks and four quarterback hits.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid indicated the goal now, with Jones’ day off from on-field work, is to get him healthy.
“I think it’s a distraction for him,” Reid said. “So that’s what we’re trying to give him time to let it go today. He’s not going to practice today, so we’ll see how he does. That’s kind of where we’re at, just take it day by day and see how he does.”
Meanwhile, defensive end Frank Clark (hamstring), cornerback Charvarius Ward (quad) and cornerback Rashad Fenton, who was in the NFL’s concussion protocol last week, were able to get on the field in some capacity.
Clark, Ward and Fenton did not play in Sunday’s Week 4 win at the Philadelphia Eagles. It was the second straight missed game for Clark.
The fact that Kansas City listed Clark, Ward and Fenton as full participants in practice is a good early sign regarding their potential availability against the Bills. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill (knee), left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. (groin) and cornerback Deandre Baker (quad) also practiced fully.
Earlier Wednesday, Reid confirmed second-year linebacker Willie Gay Jr. had been designated as “return to practice,” though he remains on injured reserve with a toe injury that he suffered during the Chiefs’ preseason finale. He was observed working out with teammates during the portion of Wednesday afternoon’s practice that was open to the media.
The designation means the Chiefs have a 21-day window to make a decision about whether to activate Gay to their 53-player roster or leave him on injured reserve.
“We’ll get him out there and see what he can do,” Reid said. “It looks he’s running around pretty good right now, so we’ve just got to see, when it comes to the football part of it.”
For the Bills, defensive end Mario Addison (rest), wide receiver Cole Beasley (rest), linebacker Matt Milano (hamstring) and running back Taiwan Jones (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday.
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 12:49 PM.
