Chiefs Place Beleagured WR Skyy Moore on IR, Announce DeAndre Hopkins Trade

The Kansas City Chiefs officially announced their acquisition of wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins shortly before placing wide receiver Skyy Moore on injured reserve.

Sep 22, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Skyy Moore (24) on the field before a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs made a surprising move on Thursday morning by placing wide receiver Skyy Moore on injured reserve due to "a core muscle injury," according to the team.

Announced on Twitter/X by the team 22 minutes after officially announcing their acquisition of wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, Moore's move to IR was unexpected due to the lack of any previous discussion of an injury to Moore this season.

Moore carried no injury designation for Wednesday's practice, meaning that he was not only a full participant, but that he did not have any injury noted at all. For context, the Chiefs had six players with injuries documented who were full participants in Wednesday's practice. The move to injured reserve is the first public mention of any core muscle injury for Moore.

Wednesday's Chiefs practice injury report: pic.twitter.com/vuOS5tTkkg

— Joshua Brisco (@jbbrisco) October 24, 2024

Moore struggled to find the field to begin his third NFL season, as the 2022 second-round (54th overall) pick recorded three targets for zero catches through the first six games of the 2024 season. Through 36 regular season games in Kansas City, Moore has chalked up 43 receptions for 494 yards and one touchdown, adding another score in Super Bowl LVII.

Related or not, Moore's departure to IR, where he will be sidelined for a minimum of four games, corresponds with Hopkins's addition, keeping the Chiefs with four healthy wide receivers available for Week 8's contest against the Las Vegas Raiders, assuming Hopkins is ready to suit up. With JuJu Smith-Schuster already ruled out for Sunday's game and Moore now out of the picture, Hopkins will join Xavier Worthy, Justin Watson and Mecole Hardman as KC's top wideout weapons. The team appears likely to elevate at least one of their four wide receivers currently on the team's practice squad (Justyn Ross, Nikko Remigio, Montrell Washington, Cornell Powell) ahead of their divisional matchup in Las Vegas.

Read More: After DeAndre Hopkins Trade, How Aggressive Could the Chiefs Be at the Trade Deadline?