Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach delivered encouraging news about rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane on Monday, including a potential timeline for when the No. 6 overall pick could receive full clearance.
Delane has participated in Chiefs training camp while wearing a yellow non-contact jersey as he works his way back from a shoulder blade injury suffered near the end of organized team activities.
The rookie has recently progressed to wearing pads, but Kansas City has continued keeping him out of contact periods. That could change soon.
During an appearance on SiriusXM Radio, Veach said the Chiefs don’t expect Delane’s injury to be a long-term concern and revealed that he could receive clearance to participate in all practice activities within about a week.
“Starting first with Mansoor, he had a shoulder blade right toward the end of OTAs,” Veach said. “And so we don’t think it’s going to be long-term or anything, but that has to just completely heal.”
Brett Veach Reveals Potential Mansoor Delane Return Timeline
Per, Brett Veach.
Delane hasn’t been completely sidelined while recovering.
The Chiefs have allowed him to participate in portions of practice that don’t involve contact, giving the rookie opportunities to continue learning the defense while his shoulder blade heals.
Veach said Delane isn’t dealing with any physical limitations during the work Kansas City has allowed him to do.
“There’s nothing limiting him out there. He’s been taking all the 7-on-7 reps and just not the team periods and the contact stuff,” Veach said. “We want to leave him out of that right now, but I would say in the next 7-8 days, he’ll probably get the green light to do everything. So, we’re excited about him.”
The timeline would give Delane additional opportunities to work with Kansas City’s secondary before the Chiefs open the regular season against the Denver Broncos.
His return to full participation would also provide a boost to a cornerback group that has dealt with several injuries during training camp.
Kristian Fulton and L’Jarius Sneed have both missed time with their own injuries, adding importance to Delane’s eventual return.
Chiefs Taking Cautious Approach With Mansoor Delane’s Shoulder
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo provided additional details about Delane’s recovery on August 6.
Spagnuolo confirmed that the rookie has been dealing specifically with a shoulder blade injury and explained why Kansas City has limited his contact.
“Because he’s dealing a little bit with it — we’re trying to be cautious with the shoulder, the shoulder blade,” Spagnuolo said following an unpadded practice. “He was out there today because we only had shells on so he could protect himself.”
When the Chiefs practice in pads, they have taken additional precautions.
“We’re just really being safe,” Spagnuolo said. “We don’t want to set him back.”
The approach has allowed Delane to continue getting mental repetitions rather than missing training camp entirely.
Spagnuolo said the rookie has remained engaged with the defense despite his restrictions.
“I do think he did a good job — you saw him in and out of huddles, getting everything mentally. Tried to keep the conditioning up,” Spagnuolo said. “Hopefully, we’ll see where we are tomorrow as we put the pads back on, but that will be [head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder’s] call.”
“Hopefully we can get him back quicker than we thought,” Spagnuolo said.
Mansoor Delane Gets Encouraging Injury Timeline Update From Chiefs GM Brett Veach