Justin Houston didn’t reinjure knee in January, Chiefs GM John Dorsey says

Justin Houston did not reinjure his knee when he returned to action in the Chiefs’ playoff victory at Houston in January, general manager John Dorsey said Tuesday in a conference call with reporters.

“No, he did not reinjure it,” Dorsey said.

“The training staff, they all had a plan together to kind of work through this thing. There was a timeline estimate and he slowly began to get out there and practice, and you could see that everything was … I mean, it was good, it was stable, it functioned.”

The Chiefs revealed March 22 that Houston — their star outside linebacker who was diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee in November — had surgery last month to fix an anterior cruciate ligament.

On Tuesday, Dorsey said the Chiefs and orthopedic surgeon James Andrews, who performed Houston’s ACL repair, determined in December that Houston could come back and play on the hyperextended knee, tests in February showed further knee damage.

“Every player is allowed to get a second opinion,” Dorsey said. “He went down to see Dr. Andrews (in December), and at that time, they’ve done the MRIs and … everything was very positive in that regard.”

But why wasn’t the ACL — which Andrews determined to be intact but “not functioning properly” in February — not diagnosed when he hyperextended his knee against Buffalo on Nov. 29?

“It was a long process,” Dorsey said. “As it unfolded and you come back and they run an MRI on the thing and everything is there (in December), then you have to think that’s very positive.

“But then when they went back in February … they came back and had some other findings.”

But was there any way to see the ligament was not functioning properly before Houston saw Dr. Andrews in February?

“No,” Dorsey said. “One, he played in the (Texans) game. And two, when you go to a man as renowned as Dr. Andrews … I mean, everybody who plays this game, if they go to a second opinion, the majority of them go see Dr. Andrews. And when Dr. Andrews comes back and gives you something that’s positive, that’s a good thing.”

One thing to remember is that Houston, who was given a six-to-12-month recovery timetable, didn’t have surgery on the knee until a month after the season. Had the Chiefs known about the injury prior to his early February follow up with Andrews, it’s hard to imagine they would have waited that long to have the corrective surgery — especially with a rehab process that could cut into the season, even though Houston has an established reputation as a hard worker and fast healer.

“That’s what Justin does, he attacks it with passion,” said Dorsey, who added that Houston will be in Kansas City in the next few days to begin his rehab. “If you know anything about the doctor and the training staff, these guys rehab up here in the best way,” Dorsey said. “That’s all you can ask for, is to have No. 50 up here and grinding at it and getting ready for the ’16 season.”

Dorsey added that Houston’s injury news, however, did not throw the team’s offseason plans for a loop. Although they lost a handful of key contributors, including cornerback Sean Smith, guard Jeff Allen and safety Tyvon Branch, they also managed to hold on to four key defensive starters — Eric Berry, Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson and Jaye Howard — and add one of the better right tackles in football, Mitchell Schwartz.

“It was an unfortunate situation, but what we do in this situation is go along with our business,” Dorsey said. “Did it alter our plans? No. I mean, we had a plan in place and we stuck to that plan and I think that that plan was a good plan, which was evidence of what transpired in the free-agency period, and now we have a second part of it, which is leading up to the draft.”

Also Tuesday:

▪ Dorsey said he would not discuss anything about the NFL’s tampering charges until the Chiefs’ appeal is settled. The league stripped the Chiefs of a third-round draft pick this year and a sixth-round pick in 2017 for making direct contact with Maclin during the 2015 negotiating period, which is prohibited. The Chiefs eventually signed Maclin to a five-year, $55 million deal before last season.

▪ Dorsey says he didn’t know at the start of free agency that safety Husain Abdullah would retire.

▪ On a potential trade, Dorsey said: “I have not talked to the 49ers about DeAnthony Thomas.”

This story was originally published March 29, 2016 at 1:53 PM with the headline "Justin Houston didn’t reinjure knee in January, Chiefs GM John Dorsey says."