The Kansas City Chiefs may be riding high after a 28-18 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, but their offense has once again been hit by injuries.
Head coach Andy Reid announced that wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster will miss the Week 8 game against the Las Vegas Raiders due to a hamstring injury, leaving quarterback Patrick Mahomes with fewer options.
Kansas City’s injury list is growing. With Marquise Brown and Rashee Rice already out for the season and Smith-Schuster sidelined for at least a week, the Chiefs’ wide receiver depth is becoming a concern.
However, when asked if the team would seek outside help, Reid suggested that they likely wouldn’t. “We have a lot of trust in the guys on the practice squad,” Reid said. “We’ve discussed it, and I’ll meet with General Manager Brett Veach to go over everything.”
With practice squad players like Nikko Remigio and Justyn Ross available, either or both could be called up to fill in for the game against the Raiders.
But plans shifted. The Chiefs decided to make a big move and traded for DeAndre Hopkins on Wednesday morning.
As the team prepares to face the Raiders, Travis Kelce, Skyy Moore, Mecole Hardman, and Xavier Worthy will be Mahomes’ primary targets, and integrating Remigio or Ross might have provided a slight boost.
Now, however, the focus shifts to their new addition: the experienced DeAndre Hopkins.
The Chiefs have managed well despite losing key receivers, but every team has a breaking point. The front office responded to this challenge by abandoning the original plan and creating a better one.
