The Kansas City Chiefs‘ injury news may be pre-occupied by the continuing absence of left tackle Josh Simmons, who is suffering from a back injury that also kept him out of Week 1’s victory against the Denver Broncos.
However, the team has also been shy defensive back Chemarri Conner, who has been missing with a knee injury that occurred during preseason.
And speaking today, Andy Reid shared what could be termed as unfortunate news that there is no outlined timetable for Conner’s return due to the swelling in his knee, per Charles Goldman.
Chemarri Conner Will Not Play on Sunday Night V.S. the Colts
“No timeline for Chamarri Conner, per Coach Reid. Says it’s a matter of keeping the swelling out of his knee.” Goldman reported on Friday.
Conner was listed as “out” alongside Simmons, whilst defensive tackle Chris Jones and rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane were both listed as “questionable” on the team’s injury report with calf and shoulder injuries. Both are believed to have a decent chance of being available by Reid, per Chiefs Digest’s Matt Derrick.
The Chiefs’ starting strong safety lead the entire roster in snaps last season, and was one of only two players – along with Nick Bolton – to play over 1,000 snaps on either offense or defense.
How Will Conner’s Absence Impact the Safety Room?
“No timeline” inherently sounds bad, because one automatically takes that as an implication that the player is out indefinitely. In this case, due to the fact that Kansas City are looking for specifically one medical goalpost to be hit; the swelling in his knee to decrease; it could be that Reid is simply being cautious due to a lack of certainty as to when it may finally desist.
In his place, 2024 fourth round pick Jaden Hicks took Conner’s place and played 100% of snaps on defense on Monday night, with versatile defensive back Chris Roland-Wallace getting a small look-in with 16%.
Beyond perhaps a slightly expanded role for Roland-Wallace, there is little reason to imagine that the snap breakdowns on defense will differ vastly week-to-week.
Chiefs Safety Has ‘No Timeline’ For Return, per Andy Reid