The Kansas City Chiefs are winless to begin the preseason, as Andy Reid’s crew lost to the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night. Not only that, but they also failed to escape State Farm Stadium without anyone going down with an injury.
In the second quarter of the outing, safety Deon Bush got hurt. It was a first-and-10 run play that saw Cardinals halfback Emari Demercado pick up 4 yards on the left end. Bush dropped to the ground after a non-contact ailment, requiring a medical cart to come out to him on the field.
Unfortunately for the Chiefs, it’s exactly what many suspected after the club quickly ruled him out during the game.
Andy Reid Confirms Season-Ending Achilles Injury for Deon Bush
According to Reid, Bush suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon.
“Bush is an Achilles, yes,” Reid said. “He’s got to have surgery. He’ll get double-checked here, but I think we’re looking at surgery there. It’s too bad, because he’s really been playing well. Great kid, too.”
Assuming final medical checks come back with the same conclusion, this is a brutal blow for Bush. At the time of his injury, the former fourth-round defensive back was just days from his 32nd birthday. He was set to enter his 10th season in the NFL, with the last few of them being in Kansas City. To date, Bush has 103 regular-season games of experience with 110 tackles and 3 interceptions.
As a Chief, Bush primarily bounced between the practice squad and active roster. In his 24 games of regular-season action, he logged 155 defensive snaps but played a whopping 468 on special teams. His most notable moment in the postseason was 2024’s AFC championship game, when he picked off Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson late.
A two-time Super Bowl champion, Bush carved out a defined role within the Chiefs organization. In a sad twist of fate, his 2025-26 season is now over before it truly had a chance to begin. After surgery, the former Miami standout faces a lengthy and challenging road to recovery.
Assessing Chiefs’ Secondary Picture Without Bush
Losing Bush is undoubtedly a tough one for the Chiefs. With that said, they do have some quality depth in the safety room to offset him not being in the picture this year. For starters, Bryan Cook is entering a contract year and had a fully healthy offseason. Alongside him, 2024 fourth-rounder Jaden Hicks is poised for a breakout year in the eyes of many. That tandem will work to prevent a drop-off following veteran Justin Reid‘s departure in free agency.
Behind those two, Chamarri Conner is entering an interesting stage of his career. The 2023 draft pick burst onto the scene as a rookie but took a step back a season ago. If he’s removed from as much nickel work, could he experience a rebound campaign? That’d be tremendous for defensive coaches Steve Spagnuolo and Dave Merritt. Elsewhere, Mike Edwards is back with the organization on a one-year deal after spending 2024 with the Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Edwards previously played for Kansas City in 2023.
At cornerback, the trio of Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and Kristian Fulton should see premium snaps. Fulton is now off the physically unable to perform list and although Watson entered concussion protocol in Saturday’s game, that situation isn’t expected to linger into the regular season. The second tier of the depth chart contains familiar names like Nazeeh Johnson, Joshua Williams and Chris Roland-Wallace. Rookie Nohl Williams is also in the mix.
The Chiefs should manage without Bush. Still, though, it’s never good when players fall victim to the downsides that come with playing in the NFL.
