ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — With Rashee Rice already limited in his return from offseason knee surgery, 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, further depleting a young, embattled receiver room.
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.
The Chiefs report that Allen is undergoing further examination for a lower-left leg injury.
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.
While it’s not clear exactly when or what happened to Worthy, during the final team period he hauled in a deep pass from Patrick Mahomes near the goal, outbattling both slot cornerback Kader Kohou and safety Chamarri Conner for the ball. Worthy exited practice approximately 10 minutes later.
A Chiefs spokesperson said Worthy was being evaluated for a shoulder issue. It’s unclear if Worthy reaggravated the previous injury or sustained new damage.
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.”
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. If the trio of Rice, Worthy and Allen were to miss Monday’s practice — the first workout in full pads — the first-team wide receivers would likely include a mix of Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Royals, Andrew Armstrong, Nikko Remigio and Jason Brownlee with Jimmy Holiday, Omari Evans and Xavier Lloyd also options.
