Travis Kelce’s Week 1 Status in Doubt Due to Knee Injury

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end played in all 17 games last season.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce hyperextended his knee in practice, and according to head coach Andy Reid, his status for Thursday’s game against the Lions is “uncertain,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

“They’re looking at it now,” Reid said, via NFL.com. “We’ll just see how it goes.”

Later in the afternoon, the Chiefs officially announced that Kelce had been limited in practice Tuesday.

Kelce, who has surpassed 1,000 yards receiving for seven straight seasons, has played in all but three games since 2014. In two of those games, he was a healthy scratch. He also missed one game due to COVID-19.

In 2022, Kelce played in all 17 games and totaled 110 catches, 1,338 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, all of which were career highs. He was also the only Chiefs player to produce 1,000 yards from scrimmage despite in a season that culminated with a Super Bowl victory.

If Kelce can’t play in the season opener against visiting Detroit, the Chiefs will have to rely on backup tight ends Noah Gray and Blake Bell. While Kelce’s injury status is up in the air, wide receiver Kadarius Toney is expected to play despite missing most of training camp with a knee injury.

Wide receiver Skyy Moore told The Athletic’s Nate Taylor that he doesn’t think the injury is serious because Kelce walked off the field on his own power.

After Kansas City opens the season against the Lions on Thursday night, the Chiefs get nine days off before their Week 2 matchup against the Jaguars.