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There had been some hope {that a} playoff bye week would enable Kansas City Chiefs vast receiver Mecole Hardman to return to the sector for the primary time since Week 9 when the workforce faces the Jacksonville Jaguars for Saturday’s Divisional Spherical matchup. However that glimmer of hope appears loads much less shiny following head coach Andy Reid’s first press convention of the week on Tuesday.
Reid introduced Hardman can be the one member of the 53-man roster not practising because the workforce started engaged on its recreation plan for the Jaguars.
“Actually, it’s simply Mecole,” stated Reid of the gamers lacking follow. “We’re simply going to again off him somewhat bit, see if we are able to’t get it feeling higher. He’s been pushing onerous. It’s not responding in the way in which that he desires it, or we would like it to, so we’ll again off on that.”
What was initially referred to by the membership as an stomach and sickness despatched the fourth-year receiver to injured reserve at midseason. After returning to the follow subject, Hardman suffered setbacks, main the workforce’s athletic coaching workers to make use of the total 21 follow days allotted earlier than activating him to the primary roster on January 4.
After that, Hardman was listed on the team’s official injury report with a “pelvis” injury. Although he practiced limitedly on Wednesday and Thursday of that week earlier than formally being dominated questionable, he didn’t go well with up in opposition to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Reid says that the workforce and Hardman (who they have described as day to day) nonetheless imagine that he is perhaps accessible in some unspecified time in the future this postseason.
“He does — and we do, yeah,” confirmed Reid. “We need to strive to not take steps again, right here. It’s not that we’ve taken steps again; it’s simply that it’s not getting the place it must be — the place he can go. So my feeling is, if we simply again off on it and let it relaxation somewhat bit right here and do his rehab and that, he has an opportunity to get higher. He doesn’t need it, and we don’t need to put him out in a foul state of affairs the place he can’t play.”
In Hardman’s absence, the Chiefs have missed his 4.33 40-yard sprint time, which permits for dynamic, explosive performs out of the backfield.
“He’s acquired a particular kind of velocity — a particular kind of velocity,” stated quarterback Patrick Mahomes in his flip on the podium. “He does a fantastic job, if it’s jet sweeps or stretching the sector vertically, and he’s gotten higher and higher at making these powerful catches. We’ve performed a fantastic of changing that with different guys, however having Mecole… [he] is a particular kind of participant, and he’s performed a variety of nice issues for this offense.”
Reid added that defensive finish Frank Clark, who left Week 18’s recreation with a groin damage, was progressing. Vast receiver Skyy Moore, who lacerated his hand in Week 17 and needed to sit out the ultimate recreation of the common season, was spotted during the team’s brief media look. At the moment, Moore appeared to haven’t any drawback catching the soccer.
Again from injured reserve
Reid additionally confirmed that operating again Clyde Edwards-Helaire and tight finish Jody Fortson would additionally take the sector on Tuesday, which means the Chiefs have formally designated them for a return from injured reserve.
In late November, the Chiefs placed Edwards-Helaire on injured reserve due to a high-ankle sprain. A month later, Fortson joined him on the record with an elbow subluxation.
“We’re going to ease them again in,” stated Reid of the duo. “[We’ll] simply see how they do — attempt to get them again within the swing of issues.”
Mahomes is raring to seed each Edwards-Helaire and Fortson again within the lineup.
“Any time you get proficient gamers again, it helps the entire workforce — not simply the offense however everyone,” he defined. “To have that vitality within the locker room once more, to have it on the soccer subject — and each these guys are particular varieties of gamers the place they will do various things than the fellows that we have already got in there. Simply having as many individuals again wholesome as attainable goes to be nice for us — as a result of we’ll have completely different choices to make the most of as we proceed to attempt to construct and get higher and higher and win these playoff video games.”
Simply because Edwards-Helaire and Fortson are practising doesn’t imply the Chiefs will activate them for the playoffs. All Tuesday’s transfer means is they will follow for Kansas Metropolis with out being on the energetic roster for the subsequent 21 days. Both could also be activated to the roster at any time throughout that interval — but when they aren’t, they’re performed for the season.
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