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The Kansas City Chiefs brought in a running back for a workout prior to their Week 15 outing against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football.
The Chiefs worked out running back Brenden Knox on Monday, December 13, per the NFL’s official transaction wire.
Knox entered the league as an undrafted rookie out of Marshall in 2021. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys on May 1, per Wilson. He played with the Cowboys over the summer, however, they waived him during the final roster cutdowns prior to the regular season on August 31, according to Pro Football Reference.
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The 6-foot, 223-pound running back played in all four preseason games in August, accumulating 25 rushing attempts for 86 yards, an average of 3.4 yards per attempt, per Fox Sports.
Kansas City didn’t appear to suffer any injuries in their backfield during the team’s 48-9 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14. They did place Jerick McKinnon (hamstring) on injured reserve on November 30, which cleared space for veteran offensive lineman Kyle Long (PUP) to return to the active roster. But the Chiefs still have Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Darrel Williams, and Derrick Gore on the 53-man roster, and also have Elijah McGuire on the practice squad.
Working out Knox may have been a matter of updating the team’s emergency list in the event that the defending AFC champions suffer an injury in the running back room during the backstretch of the season.
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The Chiefs’ first injury report of Week 15 came out on Monday, and had Williams (quad) as the only running back on the list, but was a full participant in the first practice of the week.
Chiefs Have Mini COVID Outbreak Ahead of TNF
With Kansas City having a short week prior to taking on the division-rival Chargers in primetime on Thursday, December 16, the team has had multiple positive COVID-19 cases on the team.
Veteran wide receiver Josh Gordon was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday, December 3, according to the NFL’s official transaction report.
Gordon became the second player Chiefs player to be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list since Friday, December 10. It was on that day that tight end Jody Fortson (achilles, IR) was also placed on the list, per the transaction wire.
Players in the NFL are subject to the reserve/COVID-19 list if they test positive for the virus or those identified through contact tracing as having been exposed, per The Washington Post.
According to a memo — which was obtained by NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero — that was sent to clubs from the NFL back in July, vaccinated players or staff that test positive for the virus and are asymptomatic are eligible to return to duty if they register two negative tests 24 hours apart. For unvaccinated players, just like in 2020, they must quarantine for 10 days and will be permitted to return to duty if they are asymptomatic.
Chiefs Put Division on the Line vs. Chargers
After wins for both the Chiefs and Chargers in Week 14, Kansas City still holds a one-game lead over Los Angeles in the AFC West. Because the Chargers beat Kansas City back in Week 3, a loss to Los Angeles on Thursday Night Football would mean the defending AFC champions would surrender the division lead with three weeks of play in the regular season remaining.
So, extending their win streak to seven games is of the utmost importance for the Chiefs in Week 15, as a loss could mean losing the division for the first time since 2015.
The Chiefs, who sport a 9-4 record, also have the same record as the AFC’s No. 1 seed — the New England Patriots — which also gives Kansas City a chance of claiming the top seed in the conference. If the Chiefs want to have a chance of earning a bye week at the start of the playoffs, they need to sport an overall better record than the Patriots by the end of the regular season (assuming New England remains in the top seed over the next four weeks).
READ MORE:
- Chiefs’ Veteran Offensive Threat Placed on Reserve/COVID List
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- Patrick Mahomes Claps Back at Raiders for Pregame Antics
