Chiefs training camp: Frank Clark, Alex Okafor among injured players

The Kansas City Chiefs defense took a hit in practice on Monday as Frank Clark and Alex Okafor came away injured in training camp.

The Kansas City Chiefs list of injuries got quite a bit longer on Monday as head coach Andy Reid the list of players who were unable to go in training camp. Unfortunately for the team’s remade defense, it included a number of players in the front seven.

Reid mentioned several players who were unable to practice on Monday, a list that included star pass rusher Frank Clark, who left with a sore wrist, and fellow defensive end Alex Okafor, who has an hip flexor. Fortunately, Reid noted that Clark’s injury was not considered too serious.

“We held him back. He’s going to be fine,” said Reid about Clark to reporters after practice was finished for the day.

Fellow pass rusher Emmanuel Ogbah was also listed among the Chiefs injured for the first time as he deals with an oblique strain. Ogbah was brought in via trade with the Cleveland Browns in an offseason deal that sent safety Eric Murray back to the general manager that drafted him in John Dorsey.

All three of the aforementioned defenders were brand new acquisitions for the team in 2019 for a remade defense under new coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. A completely rebuilt defensive front is key for Spags’ system, and Clark and Okafor were brought in to anchor the outsides of that along with Ogbah and holdovers like Tanoh Kpassagnon and Breeland Speaks.

Wide receivers Gehrig Dieter and Tyreek Hill also sat out practice on Monday, while linebacker Damien Wilson, running back Damien Williams and safety Jordan Lucas also missed out.