Andy Reid Cautiously Optimistic About Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown's Progress

While Marquise "Hollywood" Brown continues to make strides in practice, Andy Reid is still preaching a wait-and-see approach.

Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown (30) tackles Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Hollywood Brown (5) during the first quarter of a preseason NFL football game Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare for their Week 16 matchup against the Houston Texans, their injury report has been a bit of a mixed bag to start the week. While one key piece is close to making his return to the lineup, the availability of others remains more of a question.

Wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown is the former. The veteran pass catcher is making positive strides since being designated to return off the injured reserve list last week. Not only did he get back on the practice field on Friday, but he progressed to full participation to kick off this week's work on Tuesday afternoon.

How close is Brown actually getting to making his regular-season debut? With Saturday's game approaching, head coach Andy Reid acknowledged his star wideout's advancements but echoed a familiar sentiment.

"Listen, he felt good," Reid said. "He felt good [and] moved around well, took quite a few reps. It wasn't a leg injury, so he's been working his legs. He's one of those really good endurance guys anyways, but he's been working his legs throughout here. It's just a matter of this whole thing (points to chest) and how he feels when he's going. But the doctors have really said it's healed up nice and looks good, so we'll just see. I'm going to do just like you are – I'm going to play it by ear and see how we do here. If he can go, he'll play and if he can't, then he won't."

The continuation of good progress reports can be viewed as nothing but a good thing for Kansas City. Over the weekend, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Brown looked "so impressive" in last week's practice that there's a "very real possibility" he'd be able to face Houston in Week 16. While Wednesday and Thursday's injury updates will provide more clarity, things are looking up just days away from a high-profile AFC matchup.

Whenever Brown gets back on the field, whatever he brings to the Chiefs' offense will be beneficial. The two-time defending Super Bowl champions currently boast the sport's No. 12 scoring offense (ninth in points per drive) and rank ninth in overall EPA per play. Although the offense is 14th in dropback EPA during Kansas City's four-game winning streak, getting quarterback Patrick Mahomes healthy and adding Brown into the mix should help.

That second part seems to be growing more and more likely by the day.

Read More: Patrick Mahomes on Ankle Injury Recovery, Outlook for Week 16 vs. Texans