KC Chiefs unlikely to play Trent McDuffie against Bills
By Matt Conner
The Kansas City Chiefs are unlikely to play cornerback Trent McDuffie against the Buffalo Bills despite his return to practice.
The Kansas City Chiefs are taking the long-term approach to bring Trent McDuffie back to the active roster. That means allowing him to rest despite the team hosting the Buffalo Bills in perhaps the toughest regular-season matchup of the year.
The Bills come into Kansas City with matching 4-1 records and hopes for an early lead in the race for the only postseason bye in the AFC. Josh Allen leads one of the most potent offenses for the Bills in what should be a classic shootout of a game. Despite the high stakes, however, head coach Andy Reid told reporters that he was leaning toward resting McDuffie as he still makes his return from a hamstring injury.
McDuffie has only played in 20-ish snaps so far this season after leaving with a hamstring injury during the team’s opening-week win over the Arizona Cardinals.
The Chiefs traded up 8 spots to land McDuffie in the 2022 NFL Draft as their first of two first-round picks (along with pass rusher George Karlaftis out of Purdue) in a draft-day deal with the New England Patriots. The acquisition was the pillar in a complete remake of the team’s secondary, one that also include the signing of free agent safety Justin Reid and the drafting of four more defensive backs in the draft class.
The loss of McDuffie has hurt the team early but the Chiefs have been able to maintain their winning ways despite not having their top pick present in the secondary. McDuffie returned earlier this week as a full participant in practice, so Reid’s remarks are a bit of a surprise given McDuffie’s trajectory.
The Chiefs also are dealing with secondary injuries to safety Bryan Cook and cornerback Rashad Fenton.
