The Kansas City Chiefs are getting ready to welcome back Willie Gay Jr. and Trent McDuffie, but what about the other players on reserve lists?
The team currently has two offensive players who are eligible to return from reserve lists – OT Lucas Niang from the Reserve/PUP list and TE Blake Bell from the Reserve/Injured list. Will they be back anytime soon, though? Their return won’t happen this week, that we know.
Andy Reid was asked about their status during his Wednesday press conference. The was question framed as, “Are these two players you expect to bring back after the bye week?”
“Most likely it would be after the bye, but somewhere after the bye,” Reid said. “They are getting better and we just have to see how it goes.”
So there remains a chance that both players could return this season, but it doesn’t sound like Reid is expecting an immediate return after the bye week either. I’d imagine that they’re hoping to get both players back sometime before the playoffs, but as Reid suggests, they still have to monitor their progress moving forward.
Niang, who would be a welcomed reinforcement on the offensive line, suffered a torn patellar tendon back in Week 17 of the 2021 NFL season. He’s been recovering and rehabbing the injury ever since. Bell, who could also help offset some of the blocking issues the team currently faces, suffered a hip flexor injury in the preseason that ultimately required surgery.
Once either player is designated to return, they’ll have a 21-day practice window opened up. At that point, the team will have those 21 days to decide whether to activate the players to the 53-man roster or keep them on season-ending injured reserve.
