The Kansas City Chiefs let head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder speak to reporters on Wednesday to update them on the status of star wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
The good news: The timeline on Tyreek Hill’s absence just got potentially shorter.
The Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver left the team’s opening week game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with what was later diagnosed as a sternoclavicular joint dislocation. The immediate diagnosis was that Hill would likely miss several weeks and that a potential stint on injured reserve (with the intent to return after 8 weeks) was a possibility.
Ever since then, the timeline for Hill’s return keeps getting shorter and shorter, a good thing for the Chiefs dynamic offense. Ian Rapoport had a report on Wednesday morning that stated Hill would avoid IR and instead would likely miss four to six weeks. Then on Wednesday, the Chiefs allowed head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder to speak to reporters. He gave the following update.
“Before we left Jacksonville, he had the dislocated sternoclavicular joint reduced,” said Burkholder. “He had that reduced without surgery, and had it reduced under anesthesia. So all went well there. There was no damage to any of his vital organs or his vessels. He spent the night in Jacksonville at the hospital. My assistant David Glover was with him. They flew back here Monday. He started the rehab process Monday night and is going through that now.
“He’ll be monitored throughout this period where he goes through the phases of rehab like any other injury. We’ll do some testing with him to make sure that joint stays in the correct anatomical position. I know there’s speculation out there about how long, but he’s truly a week to week injury. He will be listed as out this week.”
Hill has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons, and the Chiefs recently signed him through the 2022 season with a $54 million extension. While the team’s offense is certainly capable of putting up plenty of points without him, there’s no question that Hill’s elite skill set not only accounts for a significant portion of the offense but his presence frees up everyone else—including All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce and former first round wideout Sammy Watkins.