Juan Thornhill, Chad Williams join list of KC Chiefs injured players

As the K.C. Chiefs got back to practice on Monday for another week of training camp at St. Joseph, Missouri, the team got a few players back to work from injuries but they also lost a few more. The biggest name who was forced to seek medical attention from the Chiefs training staff was safety Juan Thornhill.

Thornhill was seen nursing a groin injury during practice after he’d left the field to seek out the Chiefs training staff. This comes at a time when the Chiefs were hoping Thornhill had actually turned a corner health-wise heading into his third NFL season.

The Chiefs originally lost Thornhill late in a promising rookie season back in 2019 when he tore his ACL in Week 17. Before then, Thornhill looked the part as a long-term starter next to Tyrann Mathieu in the secondary and the Chiefs missed his presence in the postseason despite being able to ultimately win their first Super Bowl in 50 years.

From there, Thornhill came back in time to play Week 1 for the Chiefs in 2020, and the rehabilitation looked like a minor miracle on the part of the Virginia product. However, the Chiefs soon realized that Thornhill had been thrust into action onto the field a bit too quickly and/or given too many early reps. The result was a lightened workload as Dan Sorensen stepped up.

The Chiefs medical staff looked at Juan Thornhill on Monday.

By season’s end, Thornhill once again looked like his old self and the Chiefs were hoping to see him return this summer ready for a fully healthy campaign. No details are known yet as to the extent of his injuries.

Alongside Thornhill, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs stated two more players were lost on the day. Tight end Evan Baylis left with an ankle injury, and returner/receiver Chad Williams is out with a groin injury as well. The former is a long shot to make the roster given the team’s impressive depth at tight end with Noah Gray’s emergence. The latter could be a dark horse contender for a roster spot given his speed and special teams prowess, but this injury comes at a bad time.

The Chiefs were also missing a few players who were previously injured and/or missing from practice—from running back Darwin Thompson, who is on the COVID reserve list, to right tackle Mike Remmers (who is out with back spasms).