KC Chiefs place Tyreek Hill and more players on COVID reserve list
By Matt Conner
UPDATE: This story has been updated to reflect even more Chiefs players placed on the COVID reserve list.
The Kansas City Chiefs now have as many as 16 players on the team’s COVID reserve list after reports from both Adam Schefter and Field Yates were revealed on Tuesday afternoon.
According to Schefter, wide receiver Tyreek Hill, tight end Blake Bell, and cornerback Rashad Fenton are the latest names to show up on the list. That brings the total to nine and it includes most of the team’s stars on both sides of the ball, with only Patrick Mahomes, the team’s star quarterback, as a pillar who is still healthy heading into Week 16.
A couple hours later, Yates confirmed those three and added a few more, including right tackles Lucas Niang and Kyle Long as well as rookie linebacker Nick Bolton and safety Armani Watts. Yates adds that each addition was due to a positive coronavirus test result.
This brings the total players on the team’s COVID reserve list to nearly 10 at this stage, which undoubtedly brings up questions about the game’s ability to be played into jeopardy.
In the hours and days to come, we’ll likely hear more from the league or team officials about what measures the NFL will take, if any, to even the competitive nature of the game. For example, this week, the league allowed four games to be rescheduled to Monday and Tuesday. That could mean we see the Chiefs play next Monday or Tuesday night. That said, it’s also possible the Chiefs just play short-handed.
The full list at present includes:
- Rashad Fenton, cornerback
- Tyreek Hill, wide receiver
- Blake Bell, tight end
- Chris Jones, defensive line
- Charvarius Ward, cornerback
- Willie Gay Jr., linebacker
- Travis Kelce, tight end
- Harrison Butker, kicker
- Josh Gordon, wide receiver
- Nick Bolton, linebacker
- Lucas Niang, offensive line
- Armani Watts, safety
- Kyle Long, offensive line
- Gehrig Dieter, wide receiver (P.S.)
- Daurice Fountain, wide receiver (P.S.)
- Darius Harris, linebacker (P.S.)
The Chiefs and Steelers are set to kick off at 3:25 p.m. at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, December 26.