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Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said during his press conference on Tuesday, September 3 that he expects wide receiver Hollywood Brown to be the only inactive Chiefs player for the team’s regular-season opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, September 5.
Brown, 27, suffered a sternoclavicular joint dislocation during the team’s preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Brown was a long shot to be ready for the season opener based on the estimated recovery timeline for that type of injury. But Reid did note during his August 30 press conference that Brown’s recovery has been “incredible.”
“I don’t think you’ll have Hollywood this week. Hollywood won’t be back this week and we’ll just see how it goes,” Reid explained on August 30. “The kid’s amazing. His progress has been incredible, but I don’t – I wouldn’t predict him being there this week.”
Without Brown in the lineup, Kansas City’s receiver room against the Ravens will be Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Justin Watson, Skyy Moore, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Mecole Hardman. The team might also elevate Justyn Ross, Nikko Remigio, or Montrell Washington from the practice squad to the game day roster.
Matt Nagy’s Talks About Xavier Worthy’s Upcoming Debut
Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy was asked during his press conference on September 2 about the upcoming regular season debut for Worthy, the team’s first-round pick in April. Nagy discussed the challenges for young players playing in their first game at Arrowhead Stadium along with Worthy’s preparedness.
“Probably the biggest thing is making sure that we understand that this is going to be an emotional game and understanding that there is going to be some moments where there’s a mistake with a route assignment or – but there is also going to be some big plays,” Nagy explained.
“This game is about preparation for all of us as coaches and then for the players, it’s being able to be proficient within their execution. He (Xavier Worthy) falls into that, it’s his first time doing it. We have – he’s not the only one, we have some other guys that [it] will be their first time in GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium [and] their first time playing in an NFL game. For Xavier, he’s done everything we have asked him to do mentally [and] the physical challenge will show up. It’s going to be a physical game with an experienced defense, and they’re very well coached.”
Matt Nagy Discusses Challenge of Week 1 Preparation
During his presser, Nagy also discussed the challenges involved in preparing for the Ravens, who have defensive coordinator Zach Orr in this first season with the team.
“This game coming up, for every team coming up, this whole first week is all about adapting, that’s it. How do you adapt? How well do you adapt? They have a new defensive coordinator [and it’s the] first time that he (Ravens Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr) is calling plays. Whether it’s the same or different, we’ll see. They’re going to have some un-scouted looks and we’re going to see some things that are different – how do we adjust? Making sure that our guys can play fast is important but a lot of respect for them. It’s going to be a physical game.”
