Asked about LB Willie Gay Jr.’s status back on Monday, Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid gave it a solid, “We’ll see.”
While there were no injuries or anything like that preventing him from seeing the field after four weeks of suspension, Reid wanted to see him work in practice before committing to playing him. He wanted to make sure there wasn’t any rust, no conditioning issues and that Gay was playing fast.
So how exactly did Gay perform in practice this week? Reid provided a positive update to reporters on Friday.
“Yeah, no (rust),” Reid said. “He’s brought good energy and he’s taking all the reps. So, he’s done a nice job.”
Asked directly whether he would play against the 49ers, Reid gave as close to a “yes” as you’ll probably get out of him.
“Yeah, there’s a pretty good chance,” Reid added.
Expect Gay to suit up and get a full dosage of snaps for the first time since Week 2 against the Chargers. In that game, he played 92% of the defensive snaps. Through two games, he had 16 total tackles, two tackles for loss, two passes defended and a quarterback hit.
It’s not just the athletic ability and production that the team has missed on the field with Gay. His attitude and personality are things that Reid believes will energize this defense moving forward.
“Yeah, he’s got a great attitude,” Reid said. “He’s a positive kid. He’s got that childish personality. He brings good energy to the room. It was good to get him back in here the past couple of weeks.”
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