The v on Thursday at Arrowhead Stadium as they prepare to host the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday afternoon—a Christmas Day matchup that should have millions of televisions tuned into the AFC West showdown. As they look to fine-tune the roster for another game against Las Vegas, the Chiefs also had several items of note for reporters during and after practice.
One of the biggest news items of the day was the status of Mecole Hardman, a veteran wide receiver who officially returned to practice on Thursday. Hardman being back on the field means his 21-day window to return to the active roster has begun after coming off of the team's injured reserve list. Hardman had been on IR with a thumb injury.
This means Hardman could play at any time in the next three weeks, but the Chiefs have to waive someone to make room for him if so. If the Chiefs decide that they'd rather not activate Hardman in that window or if Hardman's not quite healthy enough to come back, then he must sit out for the rest of the season.
Hardman's return comes at a good time because others in the room are ailing at the present moment. Kadarius Toney was on this week's injury report with a hip injury and will sit out of practice. The Chiefs already put Skyy Moore on injured reserve after the Patriots game, so some musical chairs might be happening at wideout this weekend.
At running back, the Chiefs will be getting lead back Isiah Pacheco back on the field on Monday after a couple of weeks off due to shoulder surgery to clean up the area. While Pacheco returns, Jerick McKinnon was once again out of practice due to a groin injury that's limited him in previous weeks. His status for Thursday is still up in the air.
Both linebackers Cam Jones and Nick Bolton will sit out of practice due to an illness going around. Various Chiefs have missed practice or even a game because of it in recent weeks, including cornerback Joshua Williams last Sunday.