Malik Herring, DE
If there’s any injury about which we’re not that optimistic, it would be this one.
Not only is Malik Herring coming off of a serious knee injury suffered late last winter, but he’s also an injured rookie free agent hoping to earn a spot on the roster of the top Super Bowl contender in the NFL. Either way, this makes Herring a likely candidate for a year stashed away on injured reserve (e.g. Tim Ward two years ago).
Herring is a talented defensive end who was hopeful to raise his draft stock by participating in the Senior Bowl during the pre-draft season leading up to April’s first-year player draft. Instead, the ACL injury knocked Herring out of the draft entirely which allowed the Chiefs to sign him as an undrafted free agent.
If Herring is able to show the Chiefs coaches what he can do this preseason, then that’s great, but it’s hard to see him beating anyone out for one of the few spots on the roster when there are so many others vying for roles with more experience and who are ready to contribute. Instead, the Chiefs can play this one safely and slowly and watch Herring do what he can while also knowing an IR stash would give them a chance to develop him further and hopefully watch his blossom for 2022 and beyond.