The Chiefs will be without star tight end Travis Kelce when they take the field for Thursday’s NFL season opener against the Lions, according to multiple reports.
Kelce injured his knee during Tuesday’s practice, and both NFL insider Jordan Schultz and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Kelce had tried to push to play ahead of the game before being ruled out.
Tests taken after the injury in practice showed no ligament damage.
Kelce went through a workout early Thursday to see whether he could move well enough to play, but Chiefs coach Andy Reid and team trainer Rick Burkholder decided to give Kelce time to recover with their next game (vs. the Jaguars in Jacksonville) 10 days away.
“It wasn’t feeling right,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “I wasn’t going to put him out there with that, and he was honest with me.”
The issue isn’t expected to keep Kelce off the field for long, according to Rapoport. But Kelce was missed on Thursday in the Chiefs’ 21-20 season-opening loss to visiting Detroit.
Travis Kelce has been reportedly ruled out for the Chiefs’ season opener. APKelce’s brother and Eagles center Jason Kelce said during an interview on 94.1 WIP in Philadelphia on Wednesday that Travis was dealing with a bone bruise and swelling in his knee.
The Athletic reported Thursday that Kansas City considered Kelce day-to-day this week with knee inflammation.
The season opener against the Lions will mark the first game that Kelce has missed since Dec. 26, 2021, when he had to sit out after failing to clear the COVID protocol.
The Chiefs won that game 36-10 over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Thursday that the Chiefs planned to have Kelce go through an early workout to gauge the status of his knee before a decision would be made.
It seemed that signs had started to point to Kelce missing the game when the Chiefs elevated practice squad tight end Matt Bushman to the active roster.
Travis Kelce is a big piece of the Chiefs’ offense. APBushman had four receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown during the preseason.
His only NFL regular season experience was a pair of games for the Raiders in 2021.
Kelce is coming off a season in which he had a career-best in receptions (110) and touchdowns (12) while racking up 1,338 receiving yards as Kansas City went on to defeat the Eagles in the Super Bowl.
— with AP
