Andy Reid Gives Injury Update on Nick Bolton, Kadarius Toney, Three Others

After a heavy day of injuries at training camp, head coach Andy Reid delivered updates on the health of Kadarius Toney, Nick Bolton and three others who were injured on Wednesday.

Jul 22, 2024; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton (32) talks with media after training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs started Wednesday's practice with good injury news, thanks to the return of Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and Chris Jones. Unfortunately for the team, a cascade of injury exits followed throughout Wednesday's practice.

Over the course of Wednesday's action, the Chiefs saw five players leave due to injuries before riding a cart up the hill at Missouri Western State University: linebacker Nick Bolton, wide receiver Kadarius Toney, tight end Izaiah Gathings, and offensive tackles Chukwuebuka Godrick and McKade Mettauer.

After practice, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid updated the injury designations and status of those five players: Bolton left with an elbow issue. Toney, Godrick and Mettauer all had ankle injuries. Gathings left due to his hamstring.

Asked in a follow-up about Bolton, Reid gave a slight bit of detail about KC's starting middle linebacker.

"He tweaked his elbow," Reid said. "Just got it caught in between two guys."

In light of the depth of the Chiefs' wide receiver room, Reid was asked how much wiggle room Toney has in terms of missed time costing him valuable practice reps.

"You want to be there every day, so any time you miss, especially during install days, you're missing a load there," Reid said. "He's gotta take care of what he's got and get himself back out there when he can."

Reid was spotted talking to Toney after suffering his injury, and Reid was asked what he said to Toney after he went down.

"At that time, I didn't know he was banged up, it was just, 'Let's keep rolling,'" Reid said. "He had a play before that, and he went up to get it, and I think that's probably where he did get hurt, but I didn't know that at the time, but just to stay on top of it, just keep squeezing."

Bolton and Toney both bring recent injury histories with them, though Toney's reputation has been tarnished by his health-related absences far more than Bolton's. Toney was injured on his first day of training camp practice in 2023 and has struggled to stay on the field throughout his career. The timing of his return could be enormous for his chance to secure a roster spot.

Bolton missed a significant portion of 2023 due to a wrist injury suffered in Week 7. While he, unlike Toney, is guaranteed a roster spot and is certain to be one of the Chiefs' starting linebackers when healthy in 2024, it's worth remembering that Bolton is entering a contract year, the final year of his rookie deal. If Bolton isn't extended before the season, he could hit free agency in 2025.

Reid also noted that cornerback Nazeeh Johnson (hamstring), wide receiver Justin Watson (foot) and safety Justin Reid didn't practice, as Justin Reid remains on the non-football injury list due to an injury suffered before camp.

Read More: Nick Bolton Leaves Chiefs Practice with Apparent Arm Injury, Carted Up Hill