Chiefs injury report: Rashad Fenton, Mo Claiborne still not ready to practice
By Matt Conner
The Kansas City Chiefs are still not ready to see cornerback Rashad Fenton and Mo Claiborne back at practice despite missing Sunday’s game.
The Kansas City Chiefs did a fantastic job shutting down Tom Brady and the New England Patriots’ passing game on Sunday afternoon despite missing two of their primary rotational cornerbacks in rookie Rashad Fenton and veteran Morris Claiborne. Yet with another few days off to rest and recuperate, the Chiefs are still missing the duo from practice as they prepare for another game.
The Chiefs will be hosting the Denver Broncos on Sunday, and the competition level should be a bit higher now that Drew Lock has replaced Joe Flacco under center for Vic Fangio’s team. That should make the Broncos tougher to defend deep with such a strong-armed rookie. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, both Fenton and Claiborne were still out for Wednesday’s practice.
Fenton continues to deal with a hamstring injury which kept him out in Week 14 and threatens again another late season game. It’s a frustrating turn for a sixth round rookie who came on strong at midseason to show he could help in the slot and special teams. He’s been a very effective player for Brett Veach’s draft class and a nice late-round find. Given further development late in the season, Fenton could be a key player on a young roster heading into 2020.
Claiborne has missed time due to a shoulder injury. He hasn’t been used nearly as much as expected coming into the season due to the positive play of younger options like Fenton and Charvarius Ward, but getting Claiborne back would still be nice for the sake of depth and security. Any other injuries to the cornerbacks room would spell serious trouble for the Chiefs thin unit.
It will be interesting to see if the Chiefs are holding these players out of early practice as further rest, a precautionary move of sorts, or whether neither is ready yet to return. If so, it will be the second straight game missed for both players.