ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The Chiefs opened their first full-squad workout of training camp without starting strong safety Justin Reid, who has been placed on the non-football injury list with a quad issue.
The Chiefs also signed free agent tight end Izaiah Gathings to a contract. He takes the roster spot of fellow tight end Gerrit Prince, who was waived with an injury.
Head coach Andy Reid did not elaborate on the nature of Justin Reid’s injury. The non-football designation indicates it was an injury that happened since the end of the club’s offseason program and did not occur during team activities. However, the coach did not indicate any long-term concerns for the 27-year-old after Sunday’s practice.
“Listen, we’re just day-by-daying it right now and see how he does,” Andy Reid said. “He’s very honest with you, and he’s not going to hide anything. He’s going to make sure he tells you how he’s feeling. And so we trust him with that.”
Justin Reid posted on social media Sunday afternoon that he expects a quick return to action.
“Minor setbacks breed major comebacks!” he wrote. “I will get myself healthy soon, can’t wait to get back out on the field.”
Reid joins a list of a half dozen Chiefs players on the sideline as training camp begins in earnest. Defensive end B.J. Thompson is also on the NFI list after suffering a seizure on going into cardiac arrest during a team meeting on June 6. He is currently undergoing rehab.
Also on the sidelines are four players placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list Friday. That group consists of left guard Joe Thuney (pectoral), defensive end Charles Omenihu (knee), defensive tackle Derrrick Nnadi (tricep) and cornerback Jaylen Watson (shoulder). All players on the NFI and PUP lists count against the 90-player roster limit.
It’s the third stint for Gathings with the Chiefs, who first signed with the club in July 2023 after Jody Fortson sustained a shoulder injury. He was waived by the club during the final roster cutdown before the beginning of the season, but returned a second time by signing with the team’s practice squad on Dec. 20. Gathings was waived on May 4 to make room for the team’s undrafted free agent class. He caught a pass for 5 yards in last year’s preseason after entering the league last season as an undrafted free agent from Middle Tennessee State.
Prince, a Shawnee Mission Northwest product who also attended Butler Community College before transferring to Alabama-Birmingham, signed with the Chiefs practice squad last August and spent the entire Super Bowl campaign with the club. The 26-year-old Prince took part in the team’s rookie minicamp last week and appeared with his left foot in a walking boot during Friday’s practice. The club did not disclose details of his injury.
