The Kansas City Chiefs appear to have a rough timeline for Tyreek Hill’s return to action.
According to a new report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Hill is expected to miss between four and six weeks after he suffered a sternoclavicular joint dislocation against the Jacksonville Jaguars and was hospitalized. He’s since returned to Kansas City and the team now has a better idea of how to approach his injury.
We found out Tuesday that Hill would avoid being sent to injured reserve. With that, it was clear the Chiefs think Hill will miss less than the requisite eight weeks that players must spend on IR before returning. Hill will have different rehabilitation milestones that he’ll have to pass before he’s cleared for contact.
Basically, Chiefs fans shouldn’t expect to see Hill until October at the absolute earliest. I’m circling the Week 6 game against the Texans as a possible return date. That is, of course, if everything goes according to plan during his rehabilitation.
Hill is an important piece to the Chiefs’ offensive game plan. Even when he’s not on the receiving end of a play, pre-snap motions and his speed are always the focus of opposing defenses.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Chiefs adjust in his absence over the next few weeks. Will they use Mecole Hardman and De’Anthony Thomas in similar ways to Hill? Who will the offense run through without Hill on the field? After Week 1 it feels like it will be Sammy Watkins, but it could be any number of weapons.
