Chiefs will be without starting DE vs. Chargers. His teammate could make KC debut
Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna was a surprise addition to the injury report Thursday with a calf injury.
The ailment turned out more severe than the team hoped. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Friday that Danna would miss this weekend’s road game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“After our walk-through, that calf was bothering him,” Reid said. “So we’ll probably end up holding him out of the game until we get that thing calmed down a little bit.”
Danna, who has 12 tackles and a half-sack for the Chiefs this season, is a mainstay in the team’s defensive line rotation. He played 72% of KC’s defensive snaps last week vs. Atlanta and has logged at least 44 snaps in each of the three contests.
The news could mean more playing time for 2023 first-round NFL Draft pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah, who picked up his first career full sack last week against the Falcons. Anudike-Uzomah, the KC native who starred at K-State, was in for 14 of 61 snaps (23%) last week.
Sunday’s game also is likely to be the Chiefs debut for defensive end Cameron Thomas; KC traded a seventh-round pick to Arizona for Thomas a month ago.
Since then, Thomas — a former third-round pick — has not been activated to the team’s game-day roster.
“I think he’s ready to roll,” Reid said of Thomas. “He’s a pretty sharp kid and plays hard. He’s been working in there for the last few weeks anyways.”
Danna missed Thursday’s practice with his calf injury, though he was spotted going through stretches Friday during the portion of the workout open to reporters.
In April, Danna and the Chiefs agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $24 million, with $13 million of that guaranteed.
