The Kansas City Chiefs were back at practice ahead of Week 9, a home game against the New York Jets, and head coach Andy Reid had a full list of updates for reporters in his weekly media session on Wednesday.
Plenty of questions were fired at Reid related to the team's kicking woes, what he's expecting versus the Jets, and key injuries. Here's everything we learned about the Chiefs.
Peter Woods is only key injury
As the Chiefs got back to practice before Week 9, Reid said that Woods is the only player unable to practice. The Chiefs' first-round pick suffered a neck stinger, and Reid said the training staff is "just letting that thing calm down there."
Woods is a pivotal long-term asset for the Chiefs' defense, especially with Chris Jones getting older (and struggling to maintain his impactful presence). The Chiefs can only hope that Woods is able to return sooner rather than later for the sake of playing as many meaningful reps as possible, both for now and the future.
Mansoor Delane will return in Week 9
Speaking of first-round picks, the Chiefs were without their top cornerback against the Denver Broncos with a shoulder complication. Fortunately, Reid said he's back in the fold at practice for another week. Delane has looked the part of a lockdown corner, which is what the Chiefs were hoping for after trading up to No. 6 overall in the draft to get him. Delane injured his shoulder back in May and missed much of training camp before hurting it again on the first series of the season in Week 1.
Rashee Rice is going to be better in Week 9
Wide receiver Rashee Rice made his way back onto the field in Week 8 after missing two games (and the bye in Week 5) with a hamstring injury first suffered in Week 4. Rice's return was a big boost for the Chiefs' passing attack, which has also missed Tyquan Thornton, and Andy Reid said that the team's ability to manage his load was critical to his success for four quarters.
"I thought Chad [O'Shea] did a nice job of managing him through the game. In the third quarter, he had 17 snaps I think it was, and that was about right. We added onto that, but as far as managing it to that point, sometimes you can overload the guys early, and you've got a wet noodle by the end of the thing. You don't want to put the guys in that spot when they're just coming back."
Reid continued with his praise for the player as well and had some good news in that he thought Rice would only improve going forward. "Rashee, it's a tribute to him staying in good condition. There's a different condition off the field than when you're playing, but in a high-altitude, intense game, he kept himself in there and gave us fast reps. He'll be even better this week, though."
Harrison Butker remains the kicker
Even after watching Harrison Butker suffer through another frustrating performance in Week 8, with another missed field goal attempt in Denver, Reid said he was still keeping the veteran kicker in place for another game. That's especially interesting in the face of the team's recent signing of Justin Tucker to the practice squad. Perhaps Butker has a much longer leash than anyone would have anticipated, given his struggles this season.
Kingsley Suamataia likely to start
The Chiefs benched Kingsley Suamataia for the second time this season in Week 8. Reid never shared why he benched his left guard in the first place back in Week 4 and he wasn't sharing any more information after the team's loss to Denver in Week 8. But on Wednesday, Reid said there's a "good chance" that Suamataia would return to his starting spot over Mike Caliendo.
Brett Veach's trade deadline intensity
Reporters asked Reid about the upcoming trade deadline on November 10, and the Chiefs' head coach said that general manager Brett Veach has connected with him about potential targets. In reference to when that started, Reid said it was "about a month ago," while adding, "you know how [Veach] is."
"But that's good. We'll just see where it all goes, but he's great with all of that. He doesn't miss a beat, so if he can make things happen, he'll make things happen. I like the guys we have, and he's in a position where he's trying to make everything even better than what you've got. That's his job, and he does very well with that."
Reports have the Chiefs interested in wide receiver help, with names ranging from Josh Downs of the Indianapolis Colts to Brian Thomas Jr. of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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