In Week 8, the Kansas City Chiefs could utilize an NFL rule that they’ve neglected all season long.
Head coach Andy Reid addressed the media ahead of the matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders on October 25, and he left KC reporters with a parting note about potentially calling upon some reinforcements.
“Yeah, we’ll see,” Reid replied, when asked if the Chiefs would elevate anyone from the practice squad this weekend. “We’ll travel a couple of guys out there. We’ll just see how that goes for the game, but we’ll have to do that.”
Earlier in the press conference, Reid officially ruled out wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and defensive end Mike Danna, leaving Kansas City short-handed against the Raiders. The Chiefs also placed Skyy Moore on the injured reserve at wide receiver in order to make room for DeAndre Hopkins.
Could the Chiefs Finally Elevate WRs Justyn Ross or Nikko Remigio?
Chiefs Kingdom has been waiting for Kansas City to elevate fan favorite wide receivers Justyn Ross and Nikko Remigio from the practice squad considering all of the injuries at the position. Will Week 8 finally be the game that they do so?
Even with Hopkins in the lineup, the Chiefs only have four wide receivers that are available to them with Smith-Schuster sidelined. They are Mecole Hardman, Justin Watson and first-round rookie Xavier Worthy.
Of course, they also have four tight ends and four running backs — including rookie fullback/RB Carson Steele — on the roster. And as we know, Reid only utilizes his practice squad if he plans to activate the player ahead of kickoff.
Chances are, the Chiefs are currently weighing whether or not to elevate a player in Week 8. We’ll find out the verdict tomorrow on October 26.
Chiefs’ Andy Reid Says DeAndre Hopkins Has ‘Picked Up’ Offense Well So Far
Reid also talked about Hopkins and his progress on Friday. After revealing that the veteran would “probably” play on Sunday, the Chiefs head coach discussed how he’s fitting into the offense so far.
“He did a good job [in practice],” Reid told reporters ahead of Week 8. “He’s in the process of going through everything, so everything he does is the first time [he does it]. But he’s got the experience with relative play.”
“He’s picked it up,” the veteran coach added, noting that Hopkins is a “smart guy.” Reid also said that his experience and intelligence “really helps.”
“[Hopkins is] diligent with all that stuff,” the Chiefs HC said after a follow-up question on studying the playbook. “He knows what he has to do and knows he has to be in the book, looking at stuff, and he asks great questions.”
Reid also voiced that he is not worried about Hopkins when it comes to him learning the offense in time, describing his new wide receiver as “very astute.”
For the record, Hopkins didn’t appear worried about his transition to Kansas City either. While addressing the media on October 24, the veteran displayed confidence in his ability to adjust to Reid’s offense in just a couple of days learning it.
“I’ve been in the NFL for 12 years, so I know football,” he said on Thursday. “I know football so hopefully I can go out there [and] make some plays. Wherever I’m fitted, wherever I’m needed.”
It’ll be interesting to see if Kansas City eases Hopkins in versus Las Vegas, or if they lean on him like they did with Smith-Schuster and running back Kareem Hunt upon their returns.
