Both wide receiver Demarcus Robinson and offensive lineman Daniel Kilgore of the Kansas City Chiefs were placed on the NFL’s COVID-19/reserve list earlier this week after coming into close contact with someone who had tested positive for the coronavirus. In doing so, their ability to potentially play in Super Bowl LV was in jeopardy as they would need to test negative for the rest of the week to be in the clear.
NFL reporter Tom Pelissero is reporting that the Chiefs players continue to get good news as the week goes along with another round of negative tests on Thursday. What could have been a terrible problem for the Chiefs is looking more and more like a close call and nothing more.
#Chiefs WR Demarcus Robinson and C Daniel Kilgore have tested negative for COVID-19 every day since their haircuts last weekend with a barber who tested positive, per sources. As long as that continues, Robinson can rejoin the team Friday and Kilgore on Saturday.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 4, 2021
Robinson has been a part of the Chiefs team since they drafted him in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, the same draft class that brought Tyreek Hill to the team. Robinson is an athletic receiver who averages a few catches each game, a reliable presence to whom the Chiefs can direct targets if defenses key in too heavily on more popular targets like Hill and Travis Kelce. This season, Robinson had 45 catches for 466 receiving yards, and 3 touchdowns.
As for Kilgore, he joined the Chiefs this year to help bolster an offensive line that toyed with myriad changes throughout the season due to injuries and inconsistency. He started four games at center for the Chiefs in place of Austin Reiter, although Kilgore has been relegated to the bench since Week 9. He did start Week 17 when Andy Reid decided to rest the majority of his starters.
The Chiefs have other health concerns on the injury report, but the good news is that the team’s COVID scare looks like it was a short-lived incident that affected two players alone—two who are on track to be available in the big game.