The Kansas City Chiefs saw their best vertical wide receiver go down to injury in Week 4. That sparked the rumors of a reunion with Tyreek Hill, especially with the injury update on Tyquan Thornton.
Per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, testing revealed Thornton will need surgery and the recovery timetable is expected to be 3-4 months. On the bright side, that could mean he returns late in the season for the Chiefs.
This doesn’t take away from the fact that the Chiefs and Tyreek Hill’s reunion feels inevitable. What this actually means is that Kansas City could actually have a very revamped WR room come NFL playoffs time. Right now, the Chiefs’ healthy wide receivers are Xavier Worthy, Jalen Royals, Cyrus Allen, and Nikko Remigio.
There’s also a positive due to the Chiefs bye week
Usually, having the bye week early on is not desired. However, given that the WR depth chart is affected by Thornton and Rashee Rice’s injuries, it’s good news for the Chiefs. Rice should be back for Week 6 and having the bye week now is positive.
After all, if the Chiefs sign Hill soon enough, he’ll also have a couple of weeks to ramp up and get into football shape. It’s ironic, but the early bye week might play very in favor of the Chiefs.
As for now, workload will go heaily to the run game
While Rice, Hill, and Thornton all get to the roster, it is very likely that the team leans into its running game even more than what it has done early in the season. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has played well but with less receivers, the run game must take priority.
Thankfully for the Chiefs, they have arguably one of the best running backs in the whole NFL in Kenneth Walker III. So far this season, Walker has surpassed 115 yards in all but one game and is averaging one touchdown per game. Walker can also help out Mahomes in the passing game. All in all, the Chiefs should be fine.
Key takeaways
- Tyreek Hill is rumored for a reunion following recent injuries to the team’s receivers.
- A 3-4 month recovery is expected after surgery for receiver Tyquan Thornton.
- Week 6 is when injured receiver Rashee Rice is expected to return.
