Austin Reiter has a sore knee as the Chiefs prepare for Week 2.
The Kansas City Chiefs are now entering the second week of the regular season, and the only new name on the injury list after the team’s opening win over the Houston Texans is Austin Reiter. The Chiefs starting center is dealing with a sore knee, according to the team.
The Chiefs lost a few players to injury during the game, but Reiter is the only new face on the injury report as the Chiefs prepare for their first road game of the year—a trip to SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles to play the Chargers.
Reiter started all 16 games last season for the Chiefs and retained the starting center job this preseason as well. It’s a testament to his talent and work ethic that he’s climbed the depth chart for the Chiefs like he has. After first arriving in K.C. as a waiver claim before the 2018 regular season was about to begin, Reiter has gone from filling in for Mitch Morse to taking over the position when Morse signed a big-money deal with the Buffalo Bills.
If Reiter is unable to play on Sunday, the Chiefs have several options at their disposal, depending on how comfortable they feel with a lack of experience. Nick Allegretti was the team’s seventh round choice last year but played only 8 offensive snaps in 7 games for the Chiefs. He does, however, come with significant starting experience from years at center at the University of Illinois.
The Chiefs also signed Daniel Kilgore a few weeks ago as a multi-year starter at center for both the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers. While his ceiling might not be that high, he would provide the Chiefs with a predictable performer. How familiar he would be with the offense is not known to those outside Arrowhead, however.
The biggest stretch would be if the Chiefs elevated Daryl Williams from the practice squad. The Chiefs gave the undrafted rookie $107K guaranteed to sign after he finished his career at Mississippi State. However, the idea of Williams circumventing both Allegretti and Kilgore in Week 2 seems a bit ridiculous.