Tag: reserve/pup

Chiefs to place OT Lucas Niang on Reserve/PUP list

#Chiefs OT Lucas Niang will start the season on the Reserve/PUP list, which means he’ll miss the first four games of the season at a minimum.

The Kansas City Chiefs have made a decision regarding OT Lucas Niang’s status ahead of the 2022 NFL season.

Effective at 3:00 p.m. CT today, NFL teams are allowed move players from the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list to the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. Niang, who is the Chiefs’ lone remaining player on the Active/PUP list, will be moved to Reserve/PUP list according to multiple reports.

That means Niang will no longer count against the 80-man offseason roster limit, but it also has some meaning as far as his status for the 2022 NFL season is concerned. Four games must elapse during the regular season before Niang can return to practice. When he returns to practice, the team will have a 21-day window to activate Niang from the list.

The NFL and NFLPA ratified new roster rules for the 2022 NFL season and one of the changes was to decrease the number of games players on the PUP list missed. Players previously had to miss six games before they could return to practice.

Niang suffered a torn patellar tendon in Week 17 of last season. It’s a notoriously difficult injury for a big man to come back from, but he’s been hard at work all offseason. He was placed on the Active/PUP list at the onset of the team’s training camp in July. He did attend training camp and rehab with the team while on the Active/PUP list.

It’s probably wise for the Chiefs to play things safe with Niang and his injury. He’s still allowed to attend team meetings and use team facilities for rehab and recovery work. The team won’t be able to activate his 21-day practice window until the onset of Week 5. That means the team could realistically see Niang back in the fold well before the bye week.

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Chiefs could see advantages of new reserve/PUP rules with Lucas Niang

If #Chiefs RT Lucas Niang starts the season on the reserve/PUP list, new rules dictate he can return to practice after Week 4.

Last month the NFL and NFLPA ratified new roster rules for the 2022 NFL season. One rule change flew a bit under the radar as it relates to the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive line composition this upcoming season.

Previously, when players were placed on the reserve/PUP list at the onset of the season, they would not be allowed to return to practice for a 21-day window with the team until six regular-season games had elapsed. This season, the NFL will allow players on the reserve/PUP list to return after just four regular-season games have elapsed.

We don’t yet know the status of RT Lucas Niang for the 2022 NFL season. Niang suffered a torn patellar tendon in Week 17 of last season, which is a notoriously difficult injury for a big man to come back from. He remains a non-participant in OTA practices and isn’t expected to participate in Mandatory Minicamp next week due to the injury.

The latest update on Niang from Chiefs GM Brett Veach was an optimistic one, citing that he was on schedule in his recovery back in April. He also said it wasn’t outside of the realm of possibility that he could be ready to return late in training camp.

Should the Chiefs opt to play things safe with Niang and his injury, they could place him on the reserve/PUP list and ease him back into action under these new rules. He’d still be allowed to attend team meetings and use team facilities for rehab and recovery work, but the team wouldn’t be able to activate his 21-day practice window until the onset of Week 5. That means the team could realistically see Niang back in the fold well before the bye week.

This could add another level of depth and complexity to the right tackle position in Kansas City. Andrew Wylie has been playing with the starting unit at that spot during OTAs with Niang sidelined. Geron Christian is playing left tackle while Orlando Brown Jr. is away from the team.

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Chiefs activate OL Kyle Long to 53-man roster from Reserve/PUP list

The #Chiefs have activated OL Kyle Long to the 53-man roster from the Reserve/PUP list at the deadline.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have officially activated OL Kyle Long from the Reserve/PUP list according to the NFL’s personnel notice for Tuesday.

Long, 32, signed with the Chiefs out of retirement this past offseason on a one-year deal. The former Chicago Bears draft pick didn’t play in 2020 as he rehabbed from a series of injuries suffered in 2019. Just as he was hitting his stride and getting into the swing of things with Kansas City, Long suffered a knee injury during OTAs. That injury sidelined him throughout training camp and ultimately landed him on the Reserve/PUP list.

Today was the deadline for the Chiefs to activate Long after the team opened his practice window back on November 9th. He practiced for two weeks and then had the bye week off, but the training staff got a good look at him in that span. If the team hadn’t chosen to activate Long today, he’d be out for the remainder of the season without playing a snap for Kansas City.

So what’s next for Long and the Chiefs? At the time of his injury, Long was the starting right guard for the team. That position is currently locked down by rookie Trey Smith, so it’s unlikely that he resumes a starting role at that position. It’s possible that Kansas City gives Long a look at the right tackle spot, but with the bye week, Lucas Niang could be healthy enough to resume his role as a starter.

The most likely scenario is that the Chiefs keep Long on the bench for the time being. They’ll have him available as valuable depth for the stretch run in the final six games of the regular season and into the playoffs. You never know when injury can strike, so having the veteran available to fill in should be advantageous for Kansas City.

In order to make room for Long, the team placed both RB Jerick McKinnon and DT Khalen Saunders on injured reserve. McKinnon suffered a hamstring injury on the opening kickoff against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11. Saunders has been dealing with a knee issue since Week 7.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid provides injury updates ahead of Week 13

#Chiefs HC Andy Reid provided a few injury updates on Monday, addressing injuries on the offensive line and Tyrann Mathieu’s status after the knee issue in Week 11.

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Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid addressed the media for the first time since his postgame chat with reporters after the win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11.

While Reid prefaced his presser by saying he wouldn’t have a full rundown of the injuries until later today, he did provide a few key updates on some players dealing with injuries. He started by addressing the concerns on the offensive line, speaking on right tackle Lucas Niang who has missed the past two games with a rib injury suffered in Week 9.

“Yeah, well, he was making good progress prior to the bye,” Reid said of Niang. “I’ll get a report today on him. So, I think there’s a chance he’s ready. I can’t tell you until I see him.”

The Chiefs also have another decision to make on the offensive line, with Kyle Long’s 21-day practice window slated to expire on Tuesday. The Chiefs must either activate him to the 53-man roster or choose to send him to injured reserve for the remainder of the season. The latter would mean that Long will have never played a snap for Kansas City this season.

“Yeah, so listen, he’s worked his tail off during his recovery time here,” Reid said. “We’ll see how all of that goes here. We’re sorting through all of that today, but I appreciate having him here and doing what he’s been doing too and how he’s handled it. So, we’ll make the decision — and I leave that up to Brett (Veach) and the doctors and that — but we’ll make that decision here today.”

Reid didn’t seem to tip the team’s hand one way or the other, leaving room for both scenarios. We might not see the team’s decision for Long transpire on the transaction report until tomorrow.

Finally, Reid provided a brief update on Tyrann Mathieu, who played through swelling in one of his surgically-repaired knees against the Cowboys in Week 11.

“He came out, actually, OK,” Reid said of Mathieu. “He was able to push himself through, which was amazing. I mean, he’s a tough kid, so tough-minded. That also carries over to the defense. Our players knew that he wasn’t quite where he wanted to be. He didn’t really say anything, just kind of pushed himself through.”

Mathieu seems no worse for wear after pushing himself to play in Week 11. That’s a positive because they’re going to need the defense at full strength for the final six games of the season.

Overall, this team is in a good spot after the bye week, with the majority of Chiefs players entering the final six-game stretch healthy.

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Chiefs place OL Martinas Rankin on reserve/PUP list

The Chiefs will be without Rankin for at minimum the first six weeks to start the 2020 season.

The Kansas City Chiefs made a few transactions that didn’t involve releasing players in order to get the roster down to 53.

They placed two suspended players (Mike Pennel and Bashaud Breeland) on the suspended list, but they also placed OL Martinas Rankin on the reserve/PUP list.

Rankin started five games at guard for the Chiefs in 2019, after being acquired in the trade that sent RB Carlos Hyde to the Houston Texans. Rankin suffered a knee injury that ultimately landed him on injured reserve for the remainder of the 2019 season. Rankin remained sidelined during 2020 training camp, working back in his recovery from his knee injury.

So what does going to the PUP list mean for Rankin?

Rankin is permitted to attend team meetings and use team facilities for rehab and recovery work, but he’s not allowed to practice with the team for the next six weeks. After six weeks another six-week window opens up, Rankin is allowed to return to practice and the Chiefs have six weeks to activate him. If he’s not activated at the end of those six weeks, he goes to injured reserve and his 2020 season is over.

The earliest that Rankin can return to play is during the Week 7 matchup against the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium.

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