KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Injuries to Chris Conley and Albert Wilson prompted the Chiefs to shuffle their wide receiver group Saturday, placing Conley on injured reserved and promoting Marcus Kemp from the practice squad. The team also downgraded Wilson’s status to questionable for Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marcus Kemp celebrates a touchdown catch with teammate Jehu Chesson during a preseason game game against the San Francisco 49ers on Aug. 11, 2017. (Photo by Justin Olson, ChiefsDigest.com)
Conley sustained a ruptured Achilles and must undergo season-ending surgery. Wilson suffered a sprained knee that knocked him from last Sunday’s game against Houston and limited him in practice this week.
“Feel great,” Wilson said when asked about his sprained knee after practice Friday. “It’s pretty good.”
Tight end Travis Kelce returned to practice Thursday following a concussion sustained last Sunday against Houston. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill was limited in practice Thursday and Friday with a hamstring injury. Wilson expressed optimism that Kelce, Hill and himself would be available against the Steelers.
“The training room staff does a great job of getting guys back,” Wilson said. “It’s a blessing. God works in mysterious ways. It seemed like we were going to have a hiccup there but we all got in the training room with those guys in there, worked really hard to be able to get on the field Sunday.”
Kemp signed with the Chiefs in May as an undrafted free agent from Hawaii. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Kemp played in all four of the team’s preseason games, catching six passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. He showed big-play ability during offseason workouts and training camp, and earned first-team looks late in the preseason.
Kemp posted a 4.54 40-yard dash time during his pro day leading up to the draft. He was a three-year starter at Hawaii, catching 176 passes for 2,570 yards and 13 touchdowns. Kemp earned All-Mountain West honorable mention as a senior with 73 receptions for 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns. That performance also earned him the Rainbow Warriors MVP award.
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Matt Derrick is the lead beat writer for ChiefsDigest.com. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter: @MattDerrick.
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