Kansas City Chiefs Place Joe Mays On Injured Reserve With A Designation To Return

The Kansas City Chiefs officially placed inside linebacker Joe Mays on injured-reserve with a designation to return this afternoon. The move allows for the Chiefs to add newly acquired safety Kurt Coleman to the 53-man roster without having to release anyone.

Mays tore ligaments in his wrist after the Chiefs preseason game against the Carolina Panthers before in August. He will miss the first six weeks of the season no matter what before the Chiefs have 21 days to decide if he will indeed return to action. This means the soonest he would be back on the field would be the week seven game against the San Diego Chargers.

It is anticipated either Josh Mauga or James-Michael Johnson will start in Mays’ place while he is out of action. Mauga is known for his abilities against the fun while Johnson has performed better in coverage. It may not matter much either way if the Chiefs play their nickel defense frequently, a formation that generally has the second inside linebacker being subbed out of the game in favor of a third cornerback . Kansas City also plays a lot of 2-3-6 in which Tamba Hali, Justin Houston, and Derrick Johnson are the only linebackers on the field.