Getty Images Chiefs DE Frank Clark
Friday’s injury report which includes game statuses for Sunday’s regular-season opener against the Cleveland Browns has been released for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Frank Clark (hamstring) and defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (hip) are listed as “questionable” for the Week 1 game, per the Chiefs’ official website. Reserve center Austin Blythe, who is recovering from sports hernia surgery, is listed as “out” for the opener. Blythe is the only Kansas City player already ruled out for the game.
Two players listed as questionable for Sunday’s #Chiefs game. Defensive end Frank Clark (hamstring) and defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (hip).
Wide receiver Mecole Harman (oblique), offensive guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (hand), running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (ankle), offensive lineman Mike Remmers (knee), and offensive guard Trey Smith (shoulder), all of which were listed on the injury report this week, were full participants in practice Friday and are not listed with a game status for Week 1, meaning they will likely be available for the season opener.
Although Clark is listed as “questionable” for the season opener, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo suggested on Thursday that Clark would be available to play, but would be on a snap count of sorts.
“We’ll tread lightly with the number of plays we’re optimistic we can get him for Sunday,” Spagnuolo explained of Clark, via Fox 4 News’ Harold R. Kuntz.
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Browns’ Final Injury Report
Cleveland’s final injury report of the week is a bit more noteworthy. They have two players listed as “out” for Sunday’s game, per the Browns’ official website: linebacker Tony Field (illness) and offensive lineman Michael Dunn (back). They also have six players listed as “questionable”: wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (knee), defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (illness), safety Grant Delpit (hamstring), safety Ronnie Harrison Jr. (hamstring), center JC Tretter (knee), and kicker Chase McLaughlin (right hamstring), who was a late addition to the injury report this week.
“I think he was limited today so we will use the next 48 hours with all of these guys and determine who is paying and who is not,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said during his Friday press conference of Beckham and the other players listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. We will let you know 90 minutes before the game.”
Stefanski also confirmed that Beckham, who is 10 months removed from ACL surgery and is the team’s No. 1 receiver when healthy, has not taken any full contact to the ground or taken a hit to the knee yet this season, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Tyrann Mathieu, Game Day Inactives
One player that isn’t going to be listed on the injury report but his status for the Chiefs’ Week 1 game is still up in the air is All-Pro safety, Tyrann Mathieu. Mathieu was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list last week after testing positive for the coronavirus, according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, and has yet to be activated from the list. Kansas City has until 3 p.m. CDT on Saturday to activate Mathieu before he is officially inactive for the regular-season opener.
“Yeah, as long as everything is physically OK, and Rick (Burkholder) and the docs stay on top of that,” head coach Andy Reid said during his Wednesday press conference of Mathieu’s game status. “We’re in communication with them, obviously. If he can go, he’ll go. If he can’t, he can’t. We’ll make sure he’s safe to do it, though.”
NFL teams have to release an official inactives list 90 minutes prior to kickoff, which will tell us which players on the injury report or any other candidates the coaching staff has chosen to sideline for the game.