Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid provides injury updates on Lucas Niang, Chris Jones
The Kansas City Chiefs on Monday kicked off their three-phase offseason workout program.
Players during the initial phase are permitted in the team’s training facility to lift weights and participate in meetings, which Chiefs coach Andy Reid said will be virtual while players work out on their own.
Additionally, the start of Phase I signals that Reid and head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder have an opportunity to get a good look at injured players as part of the recovery process.
Right tackle Lucas Niang, who suffered a torn patellar tendon in the Chiefs’ regular-season finale, and defensive tackle Chris Jones, who played through a wrist injury last season, will be monitored closely.
“Lucas has done a nice job rehabbing and Rick has stayed on top of that part,” Reid said. “We’ll just see.”
Niang’s recovery carries significance because of the right tackle position, where he started nine games last season. A typical full recovery from a torn patellar tendon is six months, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Niang suffered the injury on Jan. 8. Depending on when he had surgery, the timeline suggests he could be ready by June and the start of organized team activities (OTAs).
Reid, however, was noncommittal on Niang’s availability for on-field work.
“I don’t want to put a date on it,” Reid said. “We’ll just see where it goes once we get back into these next two phases after Phase I and see where his progress is as he goes forward there.”
The Chiefs should be covered during OTAs while Niang continues to recover because the team re-signed Andrew Wylie to a one-deal. Wylie started seven games last season, including all three postseason games with Niang out.
As for Jones, who revealed on Nov. 2, 2021 that he’d dealt with torn ligaments in his wrist, Reid indicated that the team has no concerns regarding the three-time Pro Bowler’s health and availability for the offseason workout program.
“He’s been in the whole time here lifting,” Reid said. “I think he’s feeling pretty good; he’ll be ready to go.”
The Chiefs will remain in Phase I for the next two weeks before entering Phase II, which allows for on-field workouts in individual and/or group instruction and drills. The workouts are conducted at a walk-through pace and no live contact or full team drills are allowed during this three-week span.
Phase III of the offseason workout program includes OTAs, which are scheduled for May 25-26, May 31-June 2 and June 7-10. The Chiefs will conduct team-related 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills without pads, but no live contact is allowed. Player participation remains voluntary until the mandatory minicamp on June 14-16.
“It’s moving in a positive direction,” Reid said. “We look forward to getting these meetings started as we go.”
This story was originally published April 18, 2022 at 12:53 PM.
