The Chiefs will have new players JuJu Smith-Schuster and Samaje Perine available, but wide receiver Marquise Brown will not be playing when they face the Ravens on Thursday night in their season opener, a rematch of the AFC title game.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid mentioned on Friday that Smith-Schuster and Perine should be able to learn enough of the playbook in time to contribute against Baltimore.
Smith-Schuster was released by the Patriots last month and joined the Chiefs on Monday, while Perine was released by the Broncos on Tuesday and arrived in Kansas City two days later.
“I’ve just got to see with Perine with where he’s at in picking everything up,” Reid said. “I’m not going to put him in a bad position obviously, but I think he’s going to be fine. He’s been here cranking things up, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Brown, who was one of the Chiefs’ major free-agent signings, dislocated the sternoclavicular joint in his shoulder after catching a pass in their preseason opener against Jacksonville.
He managed to have the shoulder set without surgery, which helped speed up his recovery time from 4 to 6 weeks, giving him a chance to be ready for Week 1.
Even though Brown was on the practice field this week, he didn’t participate in any full activities, and Reid decided to let him recover more.
Since Chiefs general manager Brett Veach chose not to put Brown on short-term injured reserve when the roster was adjusted, they still expect him back in the next few weeks.
“He’s at the point where he can laugh without pain,” Veach said this week, sharing a positive update on Brown’s recovery.
Smith-Schuster adds valuable depth to the team’s receiving corps.
