Kansas City Chiefs Injury and Roster News From 2023 Mandatory Minicamp
The Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up their three-day mandatory veteran minicamp on Thursday morning, and the team had stellar participation for the most part throughout Phase Three of the 2023 offseason program.
Head coach Andy Reid took the podium on Thursday to provide a status update on how his players fared, and he also had some injury news to report. Live contact, similar to during organized team activities (OTAs), wasn't permitted during minicamp but drills were conducted and some players either sat out due to ailments dating back to the 2022 season or some new injuries that crept up recently. The complete list from Reid is below.
Reid acknowledged that the team got through minicamp mostly healthy, and none of these injuries should necessarily hold players back once training camp rolls around. Reid said that the team might have to wait and see whether "a couple of them" will be ready for the start of training camp, but designations such as tight end Blake Bell's appendectomy, safety Mike Edwards's hamstring, right guard Trey Smith's tricep strain and cornerback L'Jarius Sneed's knee — which was alluded to as more of a preventative measure to minimize inflammation — are all relatively minor.
Reid didn't go into great detail regarding cornerback Trent McDuffie's fibula injury, describing it as a stress issue that shouldn't limit him moving forward. Running back Isiah Pacheco played through shoulder and hand injuries late last season and is being held out until he's ready for a full workload. Defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton, who tore his ACL during the 2022-23 season, is still rehabbing. All in all, Kansas City is in a solid spot health-wise heading into their break before training camp.
Roster transaction notes from Chiefs minicamp
Per a Thursday morning report from Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, the Chiefs are signing former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Kekoa Crawford "following a successful minicamp." Crawford played college ball at Cal for three seasons after spending two years at Michigan, capping off his career in 2021 with 40 receptions for 513 yards. He posted a 6.06 Relative Athletic Score during the pre-draft process, fueled by stellar numbers for the broad jump and the 10-yard split. Crawford has yet to register a statistic in an NFL game.
The Chiefs also announced on Thursday that second-round pick, wide receiver Rashee Rice, has officially been signed to his rookie contract. Rice was the last member of the team's seven-rookie draft class to ink his initial NFL deal.
