Chiefs rule out DT Khalen Saunders with elbow injury

Saunders suffered an apparent elbow injury in the first quarter.

The Kansas City Chiefs have suffered what appears to be their first significant injury of the season. The Houston Texans were driving down the field in the first quarter when second-year DT Khalen Saunders went down in a heap, grasping at his left elbow area.

Saunders, a former third-round draft pick in 2019, is one of the Chiefs’ main run defenders, backing up starting DT Derrick Nnadi. Saunders was expected to have a bigger role in the first two weeks to start the season with Mike Pennel suspended. Now they’ll rely on undrafted free agent defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton to pick up the slack in the remainder of the game against the Texans.

Later the Chiefs would announce Saunders as ruled out with an elbow injury.

The Chiefs are short on defensive tackle depth tonight and Nnadi might be on a pitch count due to an ankle injury. Wharton will be the first man off the bench, but we could see some players like Mike Danna and Tanoh Kpassagnon getting snaps inside later in the game.

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