Four injured players returning soon for KC Chiefs
By Matt Conner
Joshua Kaindoh
No one wants to accuse any NFL team of rushing a player back from injury, but it is true that some of the players on this list have returns that are more anticipated than others. We’ve already covered one such player in Clyde Edwards-Helaire. However, that’s not quite the case with Joshua Kaindoh, which is why we’re not exactly sure when to expect his return for the Chiefs.
Kaindoh was originally a fourth-round selection by the Chiefs in the 2021 NFL Draft, a player who slipped to Day 3 due to a lack of production—or at least production with any consistency—during his days at Florida State. After starting strong, Kaindoh saved his worst for last, so despite the incredible athleticism and prototypical blend of length, power, burst, and agility, Kaindoh was labeled a questionable project on which some teams just weren’t willing to bet—or at least with a pick so high.
During the team’s Week 4 game, Kaindoh was lost to a high ankle sprain, and the Chiefs placed him on IR shortly after that. It meant the Chiefs knew they wouldn’t see their rookie edge rusher for approximately a month as he healed from an injury that can sometimes prove to be quite tricky in terms of pinning down a timeline. Kaindoh has already sat out the requisite three weeks on IR and then some, and there’s been no mention of him coming back anytime soon.
Given the trade for Melvin Ingram, there might not even be a spot for Kaindoh unless someone is injured and/or the Chiefs feel like someone like Alex Okafor can be upgraded. That might be true for the long-term but there might also be a short-term experiential play in keeping Okafor in-house until something happens (to either him or another) so that Kaindoh is also on deck to help maintain depth at the position.
That’s likely bad news for Kaindoh in the interim, but he was always a longer-term project as it was. Is he ready? No one knows just yet but it’s likely he’s ready and available in the instance the Chiefs pass rush needs him back.