ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The Chiefs suffered a double whammy Saturday when rookie training camp star Cyrus Allen and veteran Xavier Worthy both exited practice early due to injury concerns, yet early results indicate both players are expected to be OK.
Allen suffered a shin bruise after a collision with cornerback Kaiir Elam during a special teams period. Mild shin bruises can usually keep a player out up to a week, while more severe bruises can take up to two to four weeks to heal. It’s not believed the injury involves a bone bruise, which would extend the timeline.
Allen exited practice first after colliding with fellow punt-coverage gunner Kaiir Elam while attempting to catch a punt near the goal line. Elam popped up quickly while Allen remained on the ground for an extended period of time. He limped to the sideline with the assistance of athletic trainers before getting a cart ride to the medical tent alongside the field. Once there, Allen hopped into the tent on one foot, unable to put pressure on his left side. Following an evaluation, Allen rode in the front seat of the cart to the training complex.
Allen addressed the media last Sunday, explaining his eagerness to play on all four phases of special teams, including as a gunner and on coverage teams.
“Whatever I need to do to help the team, from playing long snapper or wherever I need to play to help the team, I’m ready to do,” Allen said.
Worthy experienced his injury scare during the practice’s final team period. He hauled in a deep pass from Patrick Mahomes near the goal line, outbattling both slot cornerback Kader Kohou and safety Chamarri Conner for the ball. Worthy exited practice approximately 10 minutes later in the front seat of a cart.
A Chiefs spokesperson said Worthy was being evaluated for a shoulder issue. A source later confirmed to Chiefs Digest that Worthy experienced discomfort in his surgically repaired shoulder, but did not sustain a significant injury. He’s expected to return to action soon. The Chiefs have a day off Sunday followed by the camp’s first practice in pads on Monday.
Worthy had shoulder surgery during the offseason after sustaining an injury in Week 1. He collided with tight end Travis Kelce on a crossing route in the season opener in Brazil against the Los Angeles Chargers. The injury caused Worthy to miss two games, but he confirmed Friday he was never 100 percent last season after the mishap.
“I was never going to be 100 percent until I got the surgery,” Worthy said. “I got the surgery, been working on it, building muscle mass, obviously working at it in the offseason, getting stronger and obviously building that shoulder back.”
More good news might be on the horizon for the Chiefs’ receiving corps. Rashee Rice, who underwent a debridement procedure in May to remove loose debris that was causing inflammation in his knee, has only worked in drills and has yet to take part in full team or 7-on-7 sessions. That could change next week, perhaps as early as Monday, as he and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed appear close to returning to full workloads.
If the trio of Rice, Worthy and Allen were to miss any portion of Monday’s practice, Jalen Royals, Andrew Armstrong, Nikko Remigio and Jason Brownlee would likely be in line for first-team work with Jimmy Holiday, Omari Evans and Xavier Lloyd also options.
