KC Chiefs Injuries: Jerick McKinnon Practices, Nick Bolton Limited
The Kansas City Chiefs have just a few days left before their Week 13 game against the Green Bay Packers. In advance of their matchup at Lambeau Field, however, the club is taking advantage of valuable practice time.
Thursday saw good injury news for Kansas City, as everyone practiced in some capacity in the afternoon. That includes linebacker Nick Bolton getting work in for the second-straight day as he works his way back from a wrist ailment. It also means running back Jerick McKinnon made his return to practice after missing a week because of a groin issue. Here's the Chiefs' full injury report for Thursday:
- LIMITED PARTICIPANT: McKinnon, Bolton
- FULL PARTICIPANT: Bryan Cook (bicep), Kadarius Toney (ankle/hip), Rashee Rice (foot), Donovan Smith (neck), L'Jarius Sneed (knee), Skyy Moore (knee)
McKinnon was the only status change; he didn't practice on Wednesday. Progressing to limited participation is a positive step towards him potentially being available to play on Sunday Night Football versus Green Bay, although the Chiefs will be cautious with him. The 31-year-old's groin injury is something that's stuck around for multiple weeks, causing him to be ruled out of the team's Week 12 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. McKinnon played in every game this season before that, recording 13 carries for 30 yards and 19 receptions for 155 yards and three touchdowns.
Head coach Andy Reid spoke about his veteran running back earlier this week, saying that the injury was becoming a bigger issue over time:
"McKinnon, his groin has been bothering him for a bit. He’s kind of pushed through it, but he was at the point where he was going to have a hard time working at the level he wants to work at there and be safe.”
For Bolton, this is day No. 2 of his 21-day practice window. That window was opened on Wednesday when the third-year linebacker returned to practice and was designated to return off the injured reserve list. While on IR, Bolton won't count against the Chiefs' active 53-man roster total. Reid indicated that a wait-and-see approach is likely to come with Bolton as well, which makes sense. With the playoffs still being over a month away, Kansas City isn't going to take any risks by rushing any of its players back into live action.