Chiefs Backup TE Dealing With Apparent Injury at Training Camp

With veterans getting one more day of Chiefs training camp practice off, Gerrit Prince appears to be nursing an ailment.

Jun 14, 2023; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Gerrit Prince (86) participates in minicamp at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

For many Kansas City Chiefs players, the first slate of training camp practices is wrapping up for the week. Rookies and quarterbacks (and select others who are rehabbing injuries) reported on Tuesday and have gotten work in on a daily basis since then, setting the tone for when veterans show up entering the weekend.

Unfortunately, it seems as if one of Kansas City's tight end options is dealing with an injury. According to Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest, backup Gerrit Prince is in a walking boot and wasn't practicing on Friday.

PJ Green of FOX 4 in Kansas City captured a photo of Prince in the boot, sitting in the back of an on-site cart.

Looks like Shawnee Mission NW alum and #Chiefs TE Gerrit Prince will not practice today.. pic.twitter.com/dLivNxKf1k

— PJ Green (@ByPJGreen) July 19, 2024

Prince is a native of Shawnee, Kansas and went to Shawnee Mission Northwest for high school. Joining the Chiefs' practice squad last August, he didn't appear in any games for the club during the ensuing regular season. In December, he went to the practice squad injured list due to a foot ailment. Once the season ended, Prince re-signed with the back-to-back champs in March on a reserve/futures contract. The Chiefs are Prince's second team; he previously was with the Jacksonville Jaguars organization.

When Prince first re-signed, I wrote about his potential impact on the roster picture. This, of course, was before the additions of Irv Smith Jr. (free agency) and Jared Wiley (2024 NFL Draft).

"As free agency comes and goes and the early stages of the offseason program launch in April, organizational depth will be key. Even if Prince is an end-of-roster piece, this signing ensures he'll have a chance to compete in the coming weeks or months. For the local product, being back with the club is a nice full-circle moment."

If Prince's injury keeps him out for some time, the Chiefs will still be in good hands at the tight end spot. The aforementioned pair, in addition to Noah Gray and Travis Kelce, make up a formidable quartet that's all currently projected to make the 53-man roster if Andy Reid opts to carry four players at that position. Prince is a notable practice squad-level investment. Now, he'll look to get on the field as soon as possible once veterans join practice at camp.

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