Getty A Kansas City Chiefs helmet sits on the turf before an NFL game.
The Kansas City Chiefs may have suffered another injury blow on August 2 as rookie wide receiver Skyy Moore left practice early after “coming up gimpy” following a drill.
While the severity is unknown at this time, KSHB41 reporter Aaron Ladd did get a video of the rough fall that led to the camp departure. The potential ailment occurred during a 1-on-1 against fellow rookie Nazeeh Johnson, who delivered a hit on Moore after he bobbled the pass.
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UPDATE: Chiefs Inform of ‘Hip Injury’
After practice ended, Arrowhead Pride’s Pete Sweeney tweeted out an official update from the Chiefs organization.
The Chiefs say WR Skyy Moore left early due to a hip injury.
It read: “The Chiefs say WR Skyy Moore left early due to a hip injury.”
The Athletic’s Nate Taylor confirmed this information in a tweet of his own.
Sky Moore sustained a hip injury midway through today’s practice.
Hip issues can be troublesome so having Moore exit practice immediately was definitely a smart call. No matter the prognosis though, this is a bitter pill to swallow for fans.
The rookie dealt with a tight hamstring throughout the spring and hardly played, so any sort of prolonged absence will force him to miss out on valuable reps learning this offense. Fortunately, the wide receiver corps is deep but Moore is a huge part of those present and future plans.
In order to make an impact this season, he’ll have to stay healthy. So far, that’s been his greatest — and only — question mark as a prospect since the draft.
BREAKING UPDATE: Later, Moore told “chiefsavenue” that he was “okay” on Instagram, including a thumbs-up emoji. Ladd had the coverage on Twitter.
#Chiefs Skyy Moore says he’s okay after leaving practice early Tuesday
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Injury Bug Hits KC Playmakers
This weekend, Chiefs tight end Jody Fortson strained his quad just as he was starting to get hot, and now a similar sort of short-term setback could have happened with Moore. The second-round selection was beginning to impress reporters with his sharp route-running and reliable hands as he built chemistry with Patrick Mahomes.
Sweeney even noted that he felt the Western Michigan product was “ahead of schedule” after admitting he saw him as a 2023 impact player originally.
That’s why this hip issue comes at such a poor time. Without Tyreek Hill, KC will need all the dynamic weapons they can find and they already lost undrafted prospect Justyn Ross for the entire 2022 campaign.
Now, this clearly isn’t a season-ending injury for Moore and it might not even be a major one, but there is a slight concern that this wide receiving unit falls short of expectations — one way or another.
The small silver lining is that if the integral rookie does miss any sort of time, it will open the door for others at camp. In the slot, a really intriguing player to watch has been WR/RB Jerrion Ealy, who looks good both running routes and catching the football.
Rookie Jerrion Ealy out of the slot
The running back room is very crowded right now but is it possible that Ealy latches on as more of a special teamer and unpredictable ace in the hole on offense? With Andy Reid as head coach, this type of move would not surprise.
Other options that have gained steam because of their versatility are Justin Watson, Corey Coleman and Daurice Fountain. All three can have an impact on a game in more ways than one.
Then there’s Josh Gordon, who continues to struggle in the early stages.
Josh Gordon got good separation in a one on one but dropped the open pass.
That’s been common for him throughout camp.
Fox 4 KC’s PJ Green reported that open drops have “been common for him throughout camp.”