KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Eric Fisher appears likely to miss his first start due to injury since his rookie season, ending a streak of playing in 87-straight regular games.
Fisher is heading to Philadelphia for a visit Dr. William Meyers, who specializes in the treatment of core muscle injuries. The left tackle suffered an injury in practice Friday initially diagnosed as a groin injury.
Fisher tested the injury during pregame warmups working with the team's training staff, and felt comfortable enough to start. He played just four snaps against the Raiders, however, before exiting the game. Head coach Andy Reid said Fisher wanted to play, and his time on the field didn't exacerbate the injury.
“It's a tribute to him, yeah,” Reid said of Fisher's willingness to start the game. “He didn't hurt it any worse. It's one of those deals.”
That led to consultation with Meyers, said Rick Burkholder, the team's vice president of sports medicine and performance.
“We've since consulted with Dr. Bill Meyers in Philadelphia, and Eric is on his way to see Dr. Meyers now with the intent of having that core muscle injury repaired tomorrow,” Burkholder said.
If Fisher does indeed undergo surgery, he could miss an extended period of time. Former Chiefs cornerback Steven Nelson underwent core muscle surgery starting the 2017 season and missed the first seven games on injured reserve.
The Chiefs haven't made such a move with Fisher. But the injury to Fisher helps explain why the Chiefs are carrying 11 offensive linemen on the active roster after the adding tackle Greg Senat off waivers from Baltimore on Monday.
Cam Erving stepped in for Fisher on Sunday, and Reid said the team feels confident in Erving.
“He had a solid game,” Reid said. “Started off with a little shaky one there at the beginning, but after that he finished it up real well.”
The Chiefs also have the option of flipping right tackle Mitchell Schwartz to the left side and place Erving on the right side. Erving spent time at both positions during training camp, but most frequently worked at left tackle with the second-team offense.
“Cam's practiced there and done that, so we're comfortable with Cam in there,” Reid said. “But we do have that flexibility to do that if we need to.”
