Star tight end Travis Kelce gave the Chiefs no obvious cause for concern on Wednesday. He took part in a full practice and worked through his drills and routes as usual. By Thursday, however, his workload had been scaled back. He was a limited participant, causing concern among fans. Worse is, he wasn’t alone, either. A couple of other Chiefs players also had their participation limited.
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“Rashee Rice, Travis Kelce, L’Jarius Sneed, and Omarr Norman-Lott were limited in practice today,” the Chiefs’ official account on X posted the update. The team also put Kelce on the latest injury report as questionable.
The reason behind Kelce’s reduced workload was an ankle injury, a detail that makes Thursday’s report particularly unsettling. He had already dealt with an ankle issue in Week 6 against the Los Angeles Chargers, when he limped off the field to receive treatment after linebacker Daiyan Henley used a hip-drop tackle against him. Henley’s shoulder connected with Kelce’s ankle, causing injury. Thankfully, the Chiefs player returned and finished the game.
Head coach Andy Reid had mentioned that “Kelce had tweaked his ankle.” Regardless, Kelce played through the same injury against the Seattle Seahawks. But whether Thursday’s injury involves the same ankle remains unclear.
As of now, details regarding the severity of his injury are unavailable. But there is also a chance that the Kansas City team limited him as a precautionary measure, something they have done before.
Kelce’s ankle injury affected his practice availability ahead of the Chiefs’ Week 7 game against Seattle, as he was limited on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Yet, he played the game.
Additionally, Kansas City listed him as a full participant on its initial injury report for the upcoming clash with Denver. So, one can only hope he starts against the Denver Broncos for Week 8.
And that’s something Kelce also wants to do. After an embarrassing loss to Seattle, Kelce wants to get back to the gridiron against the Broncos and steal a big win.
“As a unit, we’ve got to play better together, which is making sure that we’re all being accountable in every single aspect of the game,” he said on the latest episode of his ‘New Heights’ podcast.
Thankfully, the team is scheduled to release another injury report before the game. That will likely give fans an idea about Kelce’s ankle issue.
The tight end had experienced ankle injuries in 2023 and 2015 (pedal ankle sprain/pull).
Regardless, apart from Kelce, cornerback Mansoor Delane (shoulder injury) and receiver Rashee Rice (hamstring/knee) were also listed as questionable for the next game.
Rice’s injury is also a problem, considering the team looks thin on receivers. Kenneth Walker III isn’t looking the best right now. So, if at all Rashee Rice doesn’t play against the Broncos, the Chiefs will have to depend on running the ball (Denver’s run defense has holes).
This game is also especially important as the Kansas City Chiefs will be looking to bounce back from a blowout loss. Amid all of that, it is a shame that some key players are not 100%.
Ankle concerns threaten to interrupt Travis Kelce’s record-breaking run
Even though the Chiefs tasted their first defeat of the season, losing 20-3 to Seattle, Kelce had something good to take back home from the loss.
With 1,100 career receptions entering Lumen Field, Kelce was seventh on the NFL’s all-time list. A 19-yard throw from quarterback Patrick Mahomes on third-and-six with 13:11 left in the game pushed Kelce to the fifth position, surpassing Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison.
That pushed him to 1,104 career receptions. Kelce also made NFL history on Sunday night by surpassing Tony Gonzalez for the most combined receiving yards by a tight end, including regular-season and playoff performances.
Kelce was within striking distance of Tony Gonzalez’s career record, needing only 35 receiving yards to move past the former tight end’s 15,413-yard total.
But he is yet to tick off other records. For instance, he is yet to break Jerry Rice’s record for most postseason receiving yards in a career with 2,245 yards. He also surpassed Jason Witten in career receiving yards (regular season only), sitting second on the list. But Gonzalez is still the stat leader in this case.
So, one can only wait and see if Kelce’s ankle issue keeps him away from the field or if he can hit more milestones.