KC Chiefs’ Clyde Edwards-Helaire will miss Broncos game with shoulder injury
The Chiefs aren’t expecting to have running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire available for Saturday’s regular-season finale against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Thursday that Edwards-Helaire missed a third straight day of practice because of a shoulder injury suffered a couple of weeks ago against the Steelers.
“Most likely he’s going to be out, as it looks right now,” Reid said of the second-year rusher from LSU.
With Edwards-Helaire out, the Chiefs will rely on Darrel Williams again. The Chiefs also have Derrick Gore and Jerick McKinnon for tailback depth alongside fullback Michael Burton.
Edwards-Helaire suffered a collarbone injury in Week 16 against Pittsburgh Steelers and didn’t play last week against Cincinnati.
In better news on the injury front, the Chiefs should have left Orlando Brown Jr. available for Saturday’s game. Brown didn’t play in last weekend’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals after tweaking a calf muscle while warming up before kickoff. But he has practiced this week.
“He did good,” Reid said. “He practiced the last couple of days.”
Rookie right tackle Lucas Niang will not play after suffering a season-ending torn patellar tendon in Week 17. The Chiefs are likely to place him on injured reserve in coming days.
Reid said everybody else on the active 53-player roster practiced Thursday, meaning linebacker Anthony Hitchens (knee), cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (knee) and defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (shoulder) worked in some capacity.
The Chiefs’ Thursday injury report did not list Brown, Hitchens, Sneed or Nnadi. The latter trio also practiced fully on Thursday.
Three Chiefs who are currently on injured reserve were able to practice Thursday in some capacity. Rookie defensive end Joshua Kaindoh (ankle), cornerback Chris Lammons (ankle) and defensive tackle Khalen Saunders (knee) have all been designated to return, opening a 21-day window in which the team must decide whether to activate them.
The decision about Kaindoh will need to come soon because he returned to practice on Dec. 22. Lammons and Saunders returned this past week.
Reid said Kaindoh wouldn’t be available for Saturday’s game but expressed optimism the former fourth-rounder could be ready for the postseason.
“I think we have a pretty good shot at it,” Reid said. “It won’t be this week, I mean, right now, but we have a shot at getting him back.”
This story was originally published January 6, 2022 at 2:21 PM.
