KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs placed defensive lineman Jaye Howard on injured reserve Thursday, essentially ending his season with a hip injury.
Sept. 18, 2016; The Kansas City Chiefs defensive linemen Jaye Howard and Allen Bailey look to make a play against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. (Credit: Photo used with permission by Chiefs PR, Chiefs.com)
The team first reported Howard suffered a hip flexor injury on Nov. 2. He played 41 snaps in the following game against Jacksonville, but has not played in the three games since.
Howard joins defensive lineman Allen Bailey on injured reserve. Defensive tackle Dontari Poe did not practice with the team the second consecutive day while continuing to battle back spasms. Backup lineman Kendall Reyes also did not practice.
That leaves the Chiefs with an increasing lack of depth and experience along the defensive line. Rookie Chris Jones, second-year player Rakeem Nunez-Roches and recent free-agent acquisition Jarvis Jenkins remain the only healthy defensive lineman on the active roster.
The team also carries two defensive lineman on the practice squad, David King and T.J. Barnes.
The Chiefs may designate one player to return from injured reserve this season. Howard appears an unlikely choice to return. If activated, he could not return to practice until Jan. 11. The earliest he could return to the active roster would be Jan. 25 following the conference championship game.
Linebacker Justin Houston also did not practice with the team Thursday. He sustained a shoulder injury Sunday against Denver, but practiced fully on Wednesday.
New additions to the team’s injury report included wide receiver Chris Conley (Achilles) and tackle Mitchell Schwartz (ankle). Both appear limited on the practice participation report. The team did not specify the severity of the injuries.
Linebacker Dee Ford (hamstring) and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (groin) remained limited in practice Thursday as they continue their injury rehabilitation. The team expects to evaluate their potential availability for this weekend’s game at Atlanta on Friday.
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Matt Derrick is the lead beat writer for ChiefsDigest.com and the Topeka Capital-Journal. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter: @MattDerrick.
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