Chiefs news: Austin Reiter sits out practice with knee injury

Austin Reiter sat out Chiefs practice on Friday with a knee injury.

The Kansas City Chiefs continue to take hits to their offensive line before the season even begins with the news that Austin Reiter was forced to sit out of practice with a knee injury.

The Chiefs had another padded practice—of which only 14 are allowed in the preseason—on Friday and Reiter was one of the players missing on the field. It’s the first time Reiter has sat out of practice so far this preseason.

Reiter joined the Chiefs two years ago in a late preseason waiver claim from the Cleveland Browns. In his first season, he served primarily as a backup along the offensive interior for the team, stepping in when longtime starter Mitch Morse was out with injury. The Chiefs liked what they saw enough to sign Reiter to a two-year extension in December, 2018 to the tune of $4.5 million.

Last year, Reiter won the starting center role coming out of training camp after Morse bolted in free agency for a major contract with the Buffalo Bills. Reiter kept the starting role for the entire season and postseason and enters this year as the assumed starter once again in the middle.

What is interesting at this point, however, is that the Chiefs also recently signed Daniel Kilgore, another player with extensive starting experience at center for the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins in recent years. Kilgore’s signing, or at least the rumor of his signing, came before Reiter’s injury, so it’s unclear if Kilgore was going to compete for a starting role or just provide security given his body of work.

Other names competing for reps at the position include Darryl Williams, who signed this offseason as an unrestricted free agent, and Nick Allegretti, a seventh round choice last spring.