Travis Kelce Not Believed to Have Suffered Long-Term Knee Injury, per Report

Whether the Chiefs tight end plays against the Lions Thursday remains to be seen.

Reports of a knee hyperextension for Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce sent Kansas City fans into a frenzy Tuesday afternoon, as doubt was cast on the future Hall of Famer’s status for Thursday evening’s opener against the Lions.

However, a Tuesday afternoon report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero indicated that the Chiefs do not believe Kelce has suffered a long-term injury.

“They’ll wait for swelling to go down and go from there,” Rapoport tweeted.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter later added that Kansas City believes Kelce’s ACL is intact, and that the Chiefs plan to test his knee again Wednesday.

Kelce, 33, is entering his 11th professional season. He has proven remarkably durable since Kansas City drafted him 63rd overall out of Cincinnati in 2013, only missing multiple games in a season once as a rookie in ’13.

#Chiefs star TE Travis Kelce’s status is in doubt for Thursday night’s opener vs. the #Lions because of his knee injury, but sources tell me and @TomPelissero it’s not believed to be a long-term injury. They’ll wait for swelling to go down and go from there. pic.twitter.com/pzuOYz2wt2

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 5, 2023

After tests today, the Chiefs believe Travis Kelce’s ACL is intact, per source. There is inflammation in his knee, and they will test it again Wednesday to determine his availability for Thursday night vs. the Lions.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 5, 2023

In 2022, Kelce caught a career-high 110 passes for 1,338 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was named a first team All-Pro for the fourth time in his career as the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII 38–35 over the Eagles.