Chiefs coach Andy Reid rules out backup tight end Jody Fortson for Sunday vs. Titans
The Chiefs are down a tight end for Sunday night’s game against the Tennessee Titans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Jody Fortson will not play in Week 9. Fortson, who has been dealing with a quad injury and an illness, missed all three days of practice this week.
Fortson’s absence will affect the Chiefs’ 13-personnel package (one running back, three tight ends), but the Chiefs should be fine with Travis Kelce and Noah Gray for all 12-personnel packages.
“We’ll be all right,” Reid said. “We have enough receivers. We can put those guys in and do whatever we need there.”
Tight end Jordan Franks is on the practice squad if the Chiefs want to elevate the second-year pro for the game.
Reid said all the other players on the roster took part in Friday’s practice. This means wide receiver Mecole Hardman (heel), linebacker Willie Gay Jr. (hamstring), defensive end Mike Danna (calf), running back Jerick McKinnon (shoulder), rookie cornerback Trent McDuffie (hamstring), defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (Achilles) and offensive lineman Prince Tega Wanogho (rib) all practiced in some capacity.
Reid also sounded optimistic that McDuffie (hamstring) will make his return to action for the first time since Week 1. McDuffie was activated earlier this week from injured reserve and has practiced fully.
With the exception of Fortson, the Chiefs didn’t assign a game designation to anybody else on their daily injury report, meaning McDuffie, Hardman, Gay, Danna, McKinnon, Nnadi and Tega Wanogho should all be available for a full workload Sunday evening.
The Chiefs are likely to also have wide receiver Kadarius Toney available for Sunday night’s game, too. Reid said that Toney has “done a good job” in learning the plays and will likely play against the Titans.
“We have a couple of things in for him,” Reid said. “We’ll just see what happens.”
The Titans, meanwhile, have roughly twice as many players listed on their Friday injury report, with varying levels of availability projected for Sunday night’s game.
Their biggest question mark is the health of starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill; he’s nursing an ankle injury and is listed as questionable and could well be a game-time decision.
If he cannot play, rookie Malik Willis would get his second start. Last week, Wilson was 6 of 10 for 55 yards amd an interception.
This story was originally published November 4, 2022 at 1:51 PM.
