Aside from a pair of players currently on the NFL’s COVID list, Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was the only player unable to practice Tuesday afternoon ahead of Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said earlier in the day that Sneed was on his way back to Kansas City after tending to family matters surrounding the death of his brother in Louisiana, so the team should have him available for the Week 15 contest in L.A.
Bottom line, the Chiefs appear to be relatively healthy for Thursday’s game.
They designated safety Tyrann Mathieu (not injury-related), linebacker Nick Bolton (wrist), cornerback Rashad Fenton (knee), defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (elbow), rookie tackle Lucas Niang (ribs), running back Darrel Williams (quad) and offensive lineman Andrew Wylie (knee) as full participants in Tuesday’s practice.
Tuesday marked Niang’s first full practice since the week before the Chiefs’ Week 9 game. He hurt his ribs against the Packers and missed four straight games before returning in Week 14.
Defensive tackle Chris Jones and wide receiver Josh Gordon did not appear on the usual NFL injury report for the Chiefs because they are on the reserve/COVID-19 list, and therefore do not count against the Chiefs’ active 53-player roster.
To bolster their immediate depth, the Chiefs elevated rookie defensive back Zayne Anderson from their practice squad ahead of Thursday night’s game. If Jones and/or Gordon fail to pass the NFL’s COVID protocols before the game, the Chiefs could elect to elevate one or two more players.
In that case, wide receiver Daurice Fountain could be a prime candidate to replace Gordon.
The Chiefs will release their final injury report and game designations on Wednesday before flying to Los Angeles.