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Earlier this week, it was crisis mode in Kansas City.
Superstars were dropping like flies on both sides of the football as positive COVID-19 tests surged from Week 15 into Monday and Tuesday. At one point, 17 players were momentarily on the reserve list designated for the virus before two returned on December 22.
Today on Thursday the 23rd, it appears two more Chiefs have returned to practice — and these two are integral on the defensive side.
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Jones, Ward Boost Defense Ahead of Week 16
Beat reporter Herbie Teope of The KC Star tweeted out the fantastic news after spotting Chris Jones in practice earlier in the afternoon.
“Chiefs confirm Chris Jones is off the reserve/COVID-19 list, adding that CB Charvarius Ward is also off the reserve/COVID-19 list,” he stated later after verifying the sighting.
Getting any player back right now would be helpful but Jones and Ward? Those are two impact starters that can change the outcome of a football game when healthy.
Jones, in particular, is probably the most important piece on the defensive side. The defensive lineman is a game-wrecker plain and simple, his presence was sorely missed in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
That’s not to disparage Ward, who should join L’Jarius Sneed as the top cornerbacks in the secondary assuming he’s 100%. Mike Hughes and DeAndre Baker were slated to start up until Sneed returned from bereavement leave yesterday.
Teope added that the two defenders were listed as limited in practice, noting that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said the Chiefs “want to be very careful with the number of reps” players receive after recovering from COVID.
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All Hands on Deck
There are still some key members of this Chiefs roster that are currently unavailable heading into the holiday weekend. As a reminder, the following players remain on the COVID-19/reserve list:
- Offense: WR Tyreek Hill, WR Daurice Fountain (practice squad), WR Gehrig Dieter (practice squad), TE Travis Kelce, TE Blake Bell, TE Jody Fortson (injured reserve), OG Kyle Long, OT Lucas Niang, OT Mike Remmers (injured reserve).
- Defense: LB Nick Bolton, LB Darius Harris (practice squad), CB Rashad Fenton, CB Armani Watts.
- Special Teams: K Harrison Butker.
Even if players continue to return, it’s unclear if they’ll be able to handle the same workload as they normally would. That means it will be all hands on deck to fill the void of a Kelce, Hill or Bolton.
The best football teams overcome adversity, and there’s no question that the Chiefs will have to do so in Week 16.
Oh by the way, if head coach Andy Reid runs out of options, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is willing to offer his services. “Hell, I might take a snap,” the OC told the media per Teope, joking that “it might not be a good snap.”
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