JuJu Smith-Schuster Update: Latest on Chiefs WR's Hamstring Injury

With Week 8's game against the Raiders approaching, Andy Reid expanded on the Chiefs' thought process on how it will handle JuJu Smith-Schuster's injury.

Oct 7, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) celebrates after a run against the New Orleans Saints during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

After a quiet Tuesday, the Kansas City Chiefs are getting back to work on Wednesday ahead of a Week 8 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders. Unfortunately for them, though, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (and defensive end Mike Danna) were announced as not expected to practice with the team.

The former, who signed with the club back in August following his release from the New England Patriots, is nursing a hamstring injury for the second week in a row. Smith-Schuster came into Week 7's win over the San Francisco 49ers with a "questionable" designation on the injury report, but head coach Andy Reid felt confident that he'd be able to play. The veteran wideout did end up making the start, albeit only to see the same injury flare up.

Smith-Schuster exited Sunday's game thereafter and never returned. On Monday, Reid shared that he'll miss this weekend's outing in Vegas. That early-week confidence in Smith-Schuster's status raised some eyebrows, which isn't changing one bit as a new game approaches.

When asked about Smith-Schuster on Wednesday, Reid said Kansas City will exercise caution regarding his recovery. The issue is that a week ago, they thought they were doing the same thing and the ailment took a negative turn.

"We'll be cautious with him, yeah," Reid said. "We thought we were being cautious the last time with him. This time, it's a little bit worse."

Any time that Smith-Schuster misses will be felt by the Chiefs, even if pending trade acquisition DeAndre Hopkins is available soon. Earlier this month, Smith-Schuster came out of the bye week and delivered a vintage performance with a seven-catch, 130-yard effort against the New Orleans Saints that was much-needed for the receiver room. Given the long-term injuries to Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and Rashee Rice, the reigning champs were on thin ice. Smith-Schuster's emergence helped temporarily alleviate things, and now he's back on the shelf as well.

The only non-Hopkins silver lining here is that Smith-Schuster avoided a trip to the injured reserve list. When cornerback Jaylen Watson was placed on IR on Tuesday, he easily could've been joined by his wide receiver teammate had the hamstring been a serious injury. The fact that he remains on the active roster signals that the Chiefs believe he could return to the lineup before what would've been a four-game requirement of missed time.

Now, the question is whether Smith-Schuster will sit out any contests beyond Week 8.

Read More: Chiefs Trade for DeAndre Hopkins – Assessing the Move and What's Next for KC's Offense