With a win over the Denver Broncos in the books, the Kansas City Chiefs are back to work preparing for Week 11’s game against the Buffalo Bills. Several players remain out of the lineup as they recover from injuries, although things could soon take a positive turn on the health front for the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Speaking to the media on Monday, head coach Andy Reid provided an update on where things stand regarding running back Isiah Pacheco, defensive end Charles Omenihu and wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster. Reid hinted at Smith-Schuster potentially returning to practice in the very near future.
“Listen, I think they’re all close,” Reid said. “I would probably tell you that JuJu [is] closer than the other two, but I would tell you that we might have them out there. We’ll just see how it goes here today and tomorrow. They’re very close, all three of them.
With Smith-Schuster seemingly being closer than Pacheco and Omenihu, the Kansas City offense might get a big-time boost. Since tweaking his hamstring in Week 7’s win over the San Francisco 49ers, the veteran wideout hasn’t practiced for three weeks. Sunday marked his third game in a row missed but since he didn’t go on the injured reserve list, that signaled a possible belief from the team that he could return sooner than what would’ve been a mandatory four-game absence on IR. Smith-Schuster was trending up before suffering his injury, delivering a masterful seven-catch, 130-yard performance against the New Orleans Saints in Week 5.
Last week, Reid described both Pacheco and Omenihu as “doing great,” “making progress” and “close” to getting back on the practice field. It seems that even after one more game, that still remains the case. Pacheco is still working his way back from a broken fibula suffered in Week 2’s triumph over the Cincinnati Bengals, and Kareem Hunt has fared well as his replacement. There isn’t a great need for the third-year halfback to be rushed into action, which falls in line with a recent report that a “late-November return” is targeted. Kansas City can likely get by without their former seventh-round pick for a bit longer.
Omenihu, of course, is attempting to come back from a more significant injury. After tearing his ACL in January’s AFC Championship Game win versus the Baltimore Ravens and beginning the season on the physically unable to perform list, he’s remained there for all 10 weeks. Thanks to the return of Mike Danna on Sunday and the recent trade pickup of Joshua Uche, Omenihu will be given plenty of time to get back in the swing of things. His reported return timeline has also consistently been November.
In theory, it’s easier for Smith-Schuster to ramp up than Pacheco or Omenihu. The former has no eligibility window and is already on the active roster, whereas the latter two can be evaluated for up to three weeks before having to get added to the 53. Some progress is better than no progress, though, and Reid’s optimism on Monday bodes well for the Chiefs as they continue the second half of their season.
