KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time since suffering a sternoclavicular injury in the team's season opener at Jacksonville.
Hill caught two passes during the individual period of practice open to the media, and the club listed him as a limited participant. Head coach Andy Reid did not indicate how much more rehab time Hill requires before returning to game action.
“We'll just see how he does out there,” Reid said. “He hasn't done anything, so we'll just see how he does out here.”
The day following Hill's injury, the club's vice president of sports medicine performance Rick Burkholder said the injury would require monitoring throughout different phases of his rehab work.
“We'll do some testing with him to make sure that that joint stays in the proper anatomical position,” Burkholder said. “I know there's speculation out there about how long, but he's truly a week-to-week injury. He will be listed as out this week.”
Hill did participate in pregame warmups with the offense before Sunday's game at Detroit. Hill ran routes on the sidelines, and then caught passes with quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“The pregame was the first time I was able to (throw to Hill),” Mahomes said. “I'm glad to have him out there this week and be able to kind of get back throwing to him again.”
Mahomes doesn't believe it will take the duo long to regain their chemistry following Hill's absence.
We've worked all offseason and obviously working in training camp,” Mahomes said “Then having the guys that we have around him, we rotate guys through and get guys reps. I think just having him out there and being able to just pick back up where we left off will be something that will be easy to do.”
Running back Damien Williams also returned to practice with the club for the first time since suffering a bone bruise in Week 2 against Oakland. Reid said the plan with both Williams and Hill is to see how much work they can handle this week before making a decision on playing time. The team listed Williams as a full participant Wednesday.
“We're just going to see how they do out there,” Reid said.
A total of 11 players appeared on the team's practice report, but left tackle Eric Fisher (core muscle) and linebacker Dorian O'Daniel (hamstring) were the only Chiefs not to practice Wednesday.
In addition to Hill, running back LeSean McCoy (ankle) and defensive end Alex Okafor (hip) were limited in practice. McCoy has been battling the ankle injury since the second week of the season, while Okafor's hip has been a recurring issue since training camp. He left Sunday's game due to the flare up.
Cornerback Morris Claiborne took to the practice field for the first time since returning Monday from a four-game suspension. Reid said he would consult with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo on Claiborne's conditioning and readiness to assume a role with the team as early as this Sunday against Indianapolis. The cornerback trained on his own during his suspension, but hasn't worked on the field with the club since the team's final preseason game against Green Bay Aug. 29.
“We'll get him back in and see how it rolls with him,” He hasn't played in a little bit.”
Did not practice: LT Eric Fisher (groin) and LB Dorian O'Daniel (hamstring)
Limited participation: WR Tyreek Hill (shoulder), RB LeSean McCoy (ankle) and DE Alex Okafor (hip)
Full participation: QB Patrick Mahomes (ankle), WR Sammy Watkins (shoulder), RB Damien Williams (knee), LG Andrew Wylie (chest), CB Bashaud Breeland (toe) and DT Xavier Williams (ankle)
Did not practice: WR T.Y. Hilton (quad), S Clayton Geathers (concussion), S Malik Hooker (knee), RB Marlon Mack (ankle) DT/DE Tyquan Lewis (ankle), WR Parris Campbell (abdominal)
Limited participation: LB Darius Leonard (concussion)
Full participation: No other reported injuries
