KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tyreek Hill battled through wrist and heel injuries during Sunday's win against Baltimore, and he delivered a direct answer after the game on whether he would be available Thursday night against the Los Angles Chargers.
“Yes I will,” he said.
The Chiefs didn't hold a typical practice on Monday, but the league requires teams playing on Thursday night to issue a Monday injury report estimating participation. The club listed Hill as a non-participant along with three other offensive starters: running back Spencer Ware (shoulder/hamstring), left guard Cam Erving (knee) and wide receiver Sammy Watkins (foot).
The team also listed safety Eric Berry (heel) as limited. Three other players appeared on the report with a full participation tag: quarterback Patrick Mahomes (left wrist), cornerback Kendall Fuller (thumb) and linebacker Anthony Hitchens (quad).
The status of Hill remains the most concerning for the Chiefs, especially following his gritty performance Sunday with eight catches for 139. Hill first hurt his hand when he got it caught between two helmets crashing together. He later got stepped on, injuring his heel.
Head coach Andy Reid said he thinks Hill will play Thursday.
“I’m sure he's sore this morning,” Reid said Monday. “If I was a betting man I’d probably say that he plays. He loves to play the game.”
The Chiefs expect to remain without Watkins on Thursday night, and newcomer Kelvin Benjamin may only see limited action, Reid said.
“I am optimistic that we might be able to get him a couple snaps in there and see how he does,” Reid said of Benjamin, whom the club signed as a free agent last week. “Maybe incorporate him in, but we'll see as the game plan keeps forming here.”
Ware left Sunday's game with a shoulder injury but later returned to action. He tweaked his hamstring during the fourth quarter and exited the contest for a second time. Reid expressed confidence in Damien Williams, who saw a dramatic increase in his role since the departure of Kareem Hunt.
“He just keeps bringing it every day,” Reid said. “Then he had a chance the last couple weeks to get in and roll and he's done a nice job with that. Powerful, powerful kid, and I think he's more familiar with the offense now.”
Erving left the game against Baltimore with a knee injury. Veteran Jeff Allen stepped in for Erving, and Reid thought he did a good job off the bench.
“There was one stunt that got he and Eric (Fisher) on it,” Reid said. “That’s just from working together. I think they will be on the same page a little bit better there. But other than that, I thought he stepped in and did a pretty good job for us.”
Regarding Berry, Reid reiterated the Chiefs continue taking his case “literally” day-by-day.
“I think it's a feel also just on how everything feels,” Reid said. “I think progressively it's gotten better. I think with any injury there's pain, there's part of that. It's also how it feels to the athlete, which is important in this case.”
As for whether Berry might make his season debut on Thursday night, Reid said “there's a chance” that happens.
“It's killing him – trust me, it's killing him – not to be out there, but at the same time we want to be smart with it,” Reid said. “But I know he would like to play in the game.”
