Chiefs injury update: Willie Gay’s return date is still uncertain

When the K.C. Chiefs first placed Willie Gay Jr. on the team’s injured reserve list, the quick assumption on the part of fans and analysts was that he would miss the minimum amount of time—three weeks—before coming back. Thus, the team’s upcoming game against the Philadelphia Eagles has been circled for some time in that regard.

It turns out that Gay might not be a sure thing after all for the defense this week. When asked about whether or not the Chiefs will see Gay back on Sunday, head coach Andy Reid didn’t have an affirmative answer, instead saying “We’ll see” in response to the question.

The anticipation is likely heightened because, when Gay first went down with a toe injury against the Minnesota Vikings in the last game of the Chiefs preseason schedule, the feedback from the team was that it seemed like a minor injury. At the time, Sam McDowell of the Star even reported that the Chiefs believed the injury “wasn’t serious.” Thus it was even a surprise when Gay was placed on injured reserve in the first place.

The good news is that Gay isn’t missing practice at this point, and the Chiefs are going to see him sooner than later. The important thing is making sure he’s good to go for the long-term perspective, given his importance as the team’s most athletic linebacker.

Elsewhere, the Chiefs are missing cornerback Rashad Fenton in practice. He was getting checked out for a potential concussion on Sunday during the team’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, and he’s still in concussion protocol following the game. The team was also missing cornerback Charvarius Ward on Sunday with a quad injury so that entire unit will be something to watch going forward.