Gehrig Dieter seems destined for Kansas City Chiefs injured reserve

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Gehrig Dieter seems destined for the team’s injured reserve list after missing so many days in training camp.

Kansas City Chiefs fans have been waiting for the off-the-field friendship between star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and wide receiver Gehrig Dieter to blossom on the gridiron for a while now. Unfortunately, this preseason makes it seem as if might not happen any time soon.

Dieter, a third-year wideout, came into Chiefs training camp with a solid amount of experience to help propel him up the depth chart—with spots vacated by Chris Conley and, at one point, De’Anthony Thomas. Instead, Dieter has been dealing with a back injury that won’t let him practice since the start of camp in St. Joseph. Not only did Dieter miss every bit of camp but he’s continued to miss practices and games deep into the preseason.

At this point, Dieter seems destined to land on the team’s injured reserve. Despite the fact that the team has already waved goodbye to Marcus Kemp for the year due to a torn ACL, others have looked solid in camp like rookie free agent Cody Thompson, and the team re-signed Thomas earlier this week, which means the Chiefs don’t exactly look like they’re saving an active roster spot for Dieter.

Dieter has been on and off the team’s practice squad in the last couple years, but he made the active roster last year and played in four games. He largely contributed on special teams, but he did have a single catch for 22 yards to his credit. He also caught an 11-yard pass in the playoffs.

It’s a good sign that Dieter was earning late season reps and even made the team’s playoff roster. That makes it clear that the coaches trust him and that he could still trend upward if he’s able to suddenly get healthy. It’s just at this point, it’s hard to see him coming back and upending the depth chart unless something happens unexpectedly.

Dieter, who is 26 years old, will be an exclusive rights free agent next offseason which means the Chiefs remain in full control of bringing him back if they desire.