Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown is “getting close” to being able to play, coach Andy Reid said on Monday, but he did not confirm if the new free-agent signing would be ready for Week 2 against Cincinnati.
Brown dislocated the sternoclavicular joint in his shoulder during the Chiefs’ preseason opener. This injury is similar to the one then-Kansas City receiver Tyreek Hill had in Week 1 of the 2019 season, which kept him out for the next four weeks.
By the time the Chiefs face the Bengals on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, it will be about five weeks since Brown’s injury.
“Listen, everybody is different,” Reid told local reporters on a conference call. “I know he’s feeling better. We’ve got to just kind of see where it goes from here. They’ve been doing these periodic tests on him, making sure he’s headed in the right direction.”
Brown was at practice last week but did not participate before their 27-20 win over the Ravens on Thursday night.
The Chiefs still had strong performances from their wide receivers in their Week 1 win. First-round draft pick Xavier Worthy caught two passes for 47 yards and a touchdown, and also ran for another score on a 21-yard handoff.
“I thought he did a nice job there,” Reid said. “He can go down the field when needed — I know it was a busted coverage (on his touchdown catch). He does have speed and some versatility going across the middle; he had a nice grab across the middle. I think the teams we play will see that. If they didn’t know it before, they know it now.”
Second-year player Rashee Rice had seven catches for 103 yards, and Justin Watson made a 25-yard catch on his only target.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, who had just a couple of practices after being released by the Patriots and returning to Kansas City, had a chance to catch a pass at the goal line but couldn’t hold onto the ball.
Now, the Chiefs hope to see their offense perform at its full potential with “Hollywood” Brown back on the field.
