The Kansas City Chiefs activated wide receiver Marquis Brown from injured reserve on Friday, allowing him to make his regular-season debut against the Texans on Saturday.
Brown injured his shoulder in the preseason against Jacksonville when he dislocated the sternoclavicular joint. Initially, it was thought that the injury would heal on its own and Brown would only miss a few weeks. However, when it wasn’t healing correctly, Brown and the Chiefs decided to go ahead with a procedure to fix the shoulder properly.
Brown was cleared to return to practice late last week and participated fully this past week.
“He’s done a nice job,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “I mentioned earlier, it wasn’t his legs (that were injured), so he’s been able to run. Keep himself in running shape. But the rest of it, the surgery part, it looked good.”
Brown will be catching passes from Patrick Mahomes, who made it through the week without any issues from the high-ankle sprain he suffered last week against Cleveland. Together, they will be part of an offense that looks different from what the Chiefs originally expected to have this season.
The Chiefs lost their top wide receiver, Rashee Rice, to a season-ending knee injury in Week 4, leading them to trade for three-time All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins. When running back Isiah Pacheco went on the injured list, the Chiefs brought back Kareem Hunt, who has played well and is now part of a strong backfield.
“Hollywood has played a lot in this league. I consider him a veteran receiver,” Hopkins said, “so having his experience is good.”
Brown’s return is timely for the Chiefs, who will play three games in an 11-day span. Kansas City (13-1) faces the Texans on Saturday, then the Steelers on Christmas Day, as they aim to keep the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.
The Chiefs did not need to make room on their roster for Brown after releasing running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire earlier in the week. They also promoted safety Deon Bush and tight end Anthony Firkser from the practice squad to play against the Texans.
