The Kansas City Chiefs will be without Cam Erving and a surprise in Tanoh Kpassagnon among the team’s inactives on Thursday.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers have officially released their inactives lists for their showdown on Thursday Night Football, and there are a couple surprises that came out in the process.
While some players, such as running back Spencer Ware and wideout Sammy Watkins, was already rumored or reported to be out for the AFC West contest, the Chiefs raised some eyebrows with the inclusion of linebacker Tanoh Kpassagnon and offensive lineman Cam Erving among the inactives.
More from Arrowhead Addict
- Former Chiefs cornerback in legal trouble in Las Vegas
- Chiefs Kingdom: Get ready to break contract news
- Chiefs news: Travis Kelce wants to host fan ‘chug-off’ in Germany
- Podcast: Breaking down the Chiefs biggest roster battles
- KC Chiefs send Dave Merritt to NFL coaching accelerator
Erving was already listed as doubtful on the injury report, but now it’s clear he will be out for the game. That means the Chiefs will turn to Jeff Allen, a veteran lineman who was signed as a free agent earlier this season after being released by the Houston Texans. Allen spent the first several years of his career with the Chiefs.
The biggest surprise, however, is that Kpassagnon is not going to play. The former second-round pick is a developmental pass rusher who has failed to earn significant snaps on defense in his sophomore season despite the heavy investment. The Chiefs are still uncertain what they have in Kpassagnon, but the fact that he’s been relegated down to inactive on game day is not a good sign. Kpassagnon was not listed on any injury report, so on the surface, it simply looks like he’s slid down the depth chart that far.
The full list of Chiefs inactives:
- WR Sammy Watkins
- RB Spencer Ware
- OL Cam Erving
- WR Gehrig Dieter
- OL Kahlil McKenzie
- TE Deon Yelder
- LB Tanoh Kpassagnon
The full list of Chargers inactives:
- RB Melvin Gordon
- RB Austin Ekeler
- DE Chris Landrum
- C Cole Toner
- TE Sean Culkin
- WR Dylan Cantrell
- NT Brandon Mebane