The Kansas City Chiefs used every second of the game to secure a 19-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football, but KC’s close win came with two concerning developments on the injury front. After the game, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid neglected to provide an update on the injuries suffered by a pair of new starters. What’s the latest regarding left tackle D.J. Humphries and cornerback Joshua Williams?
Speaking to the media after the game, Reid did not directly address either player’s injury. Typically, Reid provides some update related to any injuries of note during his opening statement before taking questions from reporters. While it’s possible that Reid’s lack of information on Humphries and Williams is a positive sign that the injuries may not be serious, Reid also may have simply forgotten to deliver the latest updates.
Humphries was ruled questionable to return due to a hamstring injury that sidelined him during the final drive of the game. Williams was also ruled questionable with what the Chiefs called a chest injury.
Humphries left late in his Chiefs debut after taking the starting left tackle job from struggling second-year tackle Wanya Morris, who took the spot from spiraling rookie Kingsley Suamataia, who was inactive against the Chargers on Sunday night. Humphries looked rusty at times in his first live-game action since suffering a torn ACL on December 31, 2023, but Kansas City clearly planned to give Humphries all of the available reps as the team attempts to solidify a disappointing season at the tackle positions.
While Reid didn’t add any details to Humphries’s apparent hamstring ailment, he did discuss how the veteran left tackle performed in his Chiefs debut.
“I think, initially, it was fast for him,” Reid said. “And then he settled down, and I thought [in] the second half, he was playing well, which I figured would happen. He hasn’t done anything with that kind of speed out there, and then the physical part of it. These guys, they try to drive you right back into the quarterback with their bull-rushes, and they’re very good at it. So, he did a nice job.”
Williams rejoined the starting lineup as the Chiefs shuffled their options at cornerback following the early-season loss of No. 2 corner Jaylen Watson. Williams outperformed previous next-man-up starter Nazeeh Johnson on Black Friday against the Las Vegas Raiders and was putting together another serviceable performance against the Chargers before leaving with his ailment. Johnson and Keith Taylor saw the field following Williams’s departure.
Before Williams’s injury on Sunday, the Chiefs were already reportedly set to host veteran cornerback Steven Nelson for a visit on Monday in another attempt to bolster a thin cornerback room.
