Fresh off a bye, Kansas City Chiefs down a trio of players for Wednesday’s practice
The Kansas City Chiefs were down three players for their first practice following the Week 12 bye.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Wednesday that cornerback Rashad Fenton (knee), wide receiver Tyreek Hill and wide receiver Mecole Hardman would not be on the field.
Fenton, a key contributor on defense in nickel sub-packages, suffered a knee injury in Week 11’s win against the Dallas Cowboys.
“He strained his knee a little bit,” Reid said.
Fenton’s status for Sunday night’s matchup against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium remains unknown.
Reid said that Hill’s and Hardman’s absence was not related to an injury, and both players were expected back “relatively quick.” The Chiefs later designated Hill’s absence as “personal” and Hardman’s as “other.”
Hill leads the team in receiving with 84 catches and 932 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Chiefs welcomed back rookie Lucas Niang to work Wednesday. Niang, who has appeared in nine games with seven starts at right tackle this season, missed the past two games with an injury to his ribs. Veteran Andrew Wylie started in Niang’s place during that span.
Whether Niang returns to the starting lineup, though, is unclear.
“Andrew has done a good job,” Reid said. “We’ll see how Niang does and how he feels going forward. He’ll get some work today, and we’ll just see how it goes but Andrew has experience. I mean, (offensive line coach Andy) Heck just kind of rotates everybody, and so if they’re good to go, then they go.”
The Chiefs designated Niang as a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice.
Mike Remmers, who started at right tackle in Weeks 6-7, remains on injured reserve with a knee injury along with rookie defensive end Joshua Kaindoh (ankle). Reid said neither player was close to being designated as returning to practice.
“They’re not at that point right now,” Reid said.
The Chiefs listed cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (knee), offensive lineman Kyle Long (knee), cornerback Chris Lammons (hip), fullback Michael Burton (pectoral) and linebacker Dorian O’Daniel (shoulder) as full participants for Wednesday’s practice.
Safety Tyrann Mathieu, who dealt with a swollen knee before Week 11’s game, was not listed on the injury report.
This story was originally published December 1, 2021 at 12:50 PM.
