The Kansas City Chiefs started their 2026 season off with a bang, putting the hammer down on the Denver Broncos and moving to 1-0. They did this despite a fairly lengthy injury report and losing two players during the game due to injuries.
As we transition to Week 2, a home tilt against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football, what big injuries are there for Chiefs fans to focus on? Here's what we know about the Chiefs' injuries heading into another primetime affair.
Mansoor Delane, CB
What an impact the first-round rookie made in his first game despite playing just one drive. Mansoor Delane picked off Broncos quarterback Bo Nix on the first drive of the game, giving him instant credibility as a game-changing force to anchor a completely rebuilt secondary after the losses of Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson.
Unfortunately, Delane landed awkwardly on the same shoulder that was injured during OTAs. That injury kept him out of mandatory minicamp and most of the team's preseason schedule, at least in a limiting capacity. The good news is that further tests were negative, and on Wednesday, head coach Andy Reid even said that Delane should be available for the Chiefs against the Colts, despite being downgraded from questionable to out during Week 1.
Cooper McDonald, LB
With the Chiefs losing Leo Chenal in free agency, it wasn't a good sign to see Cooper McDonald, one of the linebacker depth pieces, exit the game early on with a knee injury. On Wednesday, the Chiefs placed McDonald on injured reserve, which takes him out for the next four games at least.
Losing McDonald puts the Chiefs' depth at linebacker in a rather tenuous spot. Jeffrey Bassa is in line to get more reps, but no one is going to be excited to see more of Jack Cochrane given his penchant for penalties. Still, he remains a favorite of Steve Spagnuolo, so that's likely how the Chiefs will weather the storm. McDonald can return after the scheduled Week 5 bye, if healthy, which would be a Week 6 return against the L.A. Chargers.
Chamarri Conner, S
The Monday Night Football broadcast put up an interesting graphic during the game. It consisted of the Chiefs' four main starters in the secondary from a season ago, and the big takeaway was that none of those guys were available in the Week 1 showdown. Chamarri Conner was the only one still on the team, but he was unavailable for the season opener due to a knee injury.
Conner remained out of practice on Wednesday as the Chiefs got back to work in a short week before hosting Indianapolis. The upside here is that Conner hasn't been placed on IR, which means the Chiefs expect him back before Week 4. A safety position that's a bit thin in proven talent could use him back in the fold.
Josh Simmons, OT
Josh Simmons was the most concerning injury coming into Week 1, with fans checking social media again and again to see whether or not he'd really sit out the season opener against Denver. The Chiefs' first-round pick in 2025 was in and out of the lineup a season ago—due to injuries and personal reasons—and then missed the latter part of training camp with a lingering back injury.
Simmons ended up not starting, and that put the Chiefs in a tough spot. Despite the criticism and questions, they slotted undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson in at left tackle and he played pretty well in his pro debut, especially against a Denver defense that was predicted to attack the rookie as the line's weakest link.
Simmons' situation has been kept pretty under wraps, which is frustrating. He remained out of practice on Wednesday as well, which puts his status for Week 2 in question. While Benson played well in his first-ever glimpse of NFL regular-season action, the Chiefs are better with Simmons at left tackle.
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