Chiefs injury news: Mecole Hardman's surgery, Hollywood Brown's return and more

The Kansas City Chiefs have a lot of players in transition right now—either dealing with active injuries or working their way back from them. Given the traffic back and forth, here's an update on the latest we know about a few notable players who've been on the shelf.

Mecole Hardman, WR

The first injury update on the day comes to us via the player himself. Mecole Hardman, a veteran wideout for the Chiefs, provided fans with a photo and post on his own Instagram account following successful knee surgery.

While Hardman landed on injured reserve for the Chiefs, which means he'll be forced to sit out a full four games at least, it's good news to hear that surgery went as hoped and that he's well on the road to recovery.

Hardman is a reliable vet who makes an impact on both the offense and special teams and having him as a healthy option in the postseason the best-case scenario here for Kansas City.

Hollywood Brown, WR

As Hardman is just beginning to sit out, the good news is that another offensive weapon is making his way back to the field. In fact, it's arguably the single most exciting development for the Chiefs in the last couple of months in terms of an injured player returning.

While the Chiefs have gladly welcomed a number of players back to the roster having dealt with signfiicant injuries and recovered from them—from running back Isiah Pacheco to pass rusher Charles Omenihu—the potential return of wide receiver Hollywood Brown is the sort of offense-altering addition that could really make a significant difference.

Remember, the Chiefs signed Brown to a single-season deal with a strong vision for how he would help stretch the field with a reliable downfield target who could also prove dangerous on every level. He also developed quick chemistry with quarterback Patrick Mahomes on the field during private workouts and spring practices.

Unfortunately, Brown was lost to a sternoclavicular injury that happened on his very first catch in the team's first preseason game. It was a worst-case scenario that robbed Brown of a full year of football and the Chiefs of any new offensive heights.

The idea of his return stacked with the in-season acquisitions of JuJu Smith-Schuster and DeAndre Hopkins could really make things interesting for the postseason.

D.J. Humphries, OT

Meanwhile, Chiefs fans continue to wait for any official word on D.J. Humphries as the week nears its mid-point. As the Chiefs come out to practice and have to provide official injury updates, things will become clearer, but the picture around Humphries' ability to play left tackle is rather muddied at the present time.

Humphries will not be able to practice on Wednesday. That much is clear.

The Chiefs signed Humphries off the street a few weeks ago and he made his first appearance for the team in Week 14—a win over the L.A. Chargers. However, Humphries was lost for part of the game with a hamstring injury that required the team to get an MRI following the game. Results from that have not yet been made known.

If Humphries needs to sit out a game for rest, the assumption is that Wanya Morris will slide back into a starting role as needed, but the Chiefs could also move Joe Thuney out there and lean on Mike Caliendo at left guard instead.