Four important personnel decisions facing the Kansas City Chiefs heading into Week 7
By Matt Conner
Will we see Richie James return?
This is an interesting question that no one seems to be thinking about in Chiefs Kingdom.
Richie James was signed this offseason as a receiver and returner who'd just experienced a solid breakout season with the New York Giants in the face of injuries on a surprising winning team in Brian Daboll's first season. James signed a cheap one-year deal in the offseason to join a new offense in which he could further establish his value and likely ring up bigger bucks with another solid season.
Unfortunately, James was lost pretty quickly to an MCL injury that required his presence on the team's Injured Reserve list. Just like that James was out for several weeks and largely forgotten about as Montrell Washington took over return duties and the offense continued its hopeful search for young playmakers to emerge.
What has gone unnoticed in all of this is that James is eligible to return for the Chiefs from IR, if he's ready. No one on the Chiefs has ever officially said James is out for the year or even for a specific period of time, so it's anyone's guess. However, for those who held out hopes that James could mirror his performance in New York in the Chiefs offense (as a WR3/4 sort of target) with return capabilities, the questions are still there. Will we see James return from IR or not? If so, when will that be?