Chiefs' Chamarri Conner a 'stretch' for opener; Jaden Hicks in line to start at safety
The Chiefs could be short a starting safety for Monday night's opener. Andy Reid said on Tuesday that it would be "a stretch" for strong safety Chamarri Conner to be available against the Broncos, leaving Kansas City planning around his ab…
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The Chiefs could be short a starting safety for Monday night's opener. Andy Reid said on Tuesday that it would be "a stretch" for strong safety Chamarri Conner to be available against the Broncos, leaving Kansas City planning around his absence in Week 1.
Matt Derrick (@mattderrick): Reid also says it will be "a stretch" for SS Chamarri Conner to go against the Broncos in Week 1. FS Alohi Gillman worked on Tuesday and should be back. The absence of Conner would likely lead to a start from Jaden Hicks.
The better news on the back end: free safety Alohi Gillman worked on Tuesday and should be back, per Reid — a return that at least stabilizes one safety spot for the opener. If Conner can't answer the bell, the plan points toward a start from Jaden Hicks in his place, as Matt Derrick relayed from the press conference.
Kansas City's opener against the division-rival Broncos is suddenly a health-check game on multiple fronts. The same Tuesday press conference that produced the word of Patrick Mahomes' expected return from ACL surgery also produced a left tackle in doubt and a starting safety trending the wrong way — all with a Monday night division game arriving in less than a week.
Reid's "stretch" framing leaves a small door open for Conner to make it back, but coaches rarely talk themselves into availability after a comment like that. The more realistic reading: Hicks should prepare like a starter, and the Chiefs' defensive plan for Denver will be built with a secondary that may be missing one of its projected first-teamers.