Wide receiver Marquise Brown joined practice with the Chiefs on Friday, and there’s hope within the team that one of their top free-agent signings will be able to make a difference as the season moves toward the playoffs.
Brown has been on injured reserve since he dislocated the sternoclavicular joint in his shoulder when he was tackled on the first play of their preseason opener against Jacksonville. His return to practice opens a 21-day window in which the Chiefs must decide whether to activate him. However, this decision will likely be made sooner.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid confirmed that Brown would not play on Sunday against Cleveland, but he may return the following week for a Saturday game against Houston or for the Christmas Day game against Pittsburgh.
“It’s nice to have him back out there and going. He got a lot of good work in today,” Reid said. “You can tell he’s been working. The conditioning part wasn’t a problem. He took quite a few reps.”
Brown signed a $7 million contract with Kansas City, hoping that a successful season with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the team would help him secure a multiyear deal next offseason. Over his first five seasons in the NFL, he has 313 catches, 3,644 yards, and 28 touchdowns.
He participated in the full offseason program with Kansas City, even spending time with Mahomes in Texas, but he dislocated his shoulder in the game against Jacksonville on August 10.
Initially, the injury was expected to keep Brown out for a few weeks. However, when scans showed the joint was not healing properly, he underwent surgery to fix it. The Chiefs are hopeful that Brown will be ready to contribute in the playoffs, as they have already secured the AFC West title for the ninth consecutive year and hold a two-game lead for the top spot in the conference.
“As a person we’re excited to get Hollywood back whenever he’s ready, just because his personality is so infectious,” said Chiefs wide receivers coach Joe Bleymaier. “The football side of stuff, he’s built those reps, that camaraderie with Pat and other receivers — he’s been here. He’s done it. He’s done it in the past, he just hasn’t done it in a game, which is strange.”
When Brown returns, he will join a wide receiver group that has changed significantly since the offseason. After Brown’s injury, the Chiefs signed veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster for more depth.
They also saw Rashee Rice suffer a season-ending knee injury in Week 4 against the Chargers, which led to a trade for three-time All-Pro Deandre Hopkins from the Titans. Recently, they also lost Mecole Hardman to a knee injury.
“He wouldn’t be coming back if he wasn’t 100% and ready to roll,” Bleymaier said about Brown. “Maybe it’s just the optimism (but) you hope he’s right there. He’s done it. We’ve seen him do it. Now it’s a matter of him going out and doing it.”
