(610 Sports) – As the Kansas City Chiefs get back to work following Sunday's AFC Championship Game win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the team is focused on getting some key players back to full health ahead of Super Bowl LVII. While next Sunday will seemingly take forever to get here for fans, it'll be here before you know it for the team's training staff who are working hard to get the team to full-health
Thought the team didn't have an official practice on Wednesday, they did release an estimated injury report. Included on the list as non-participants were a trio of wide receivers (JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman and Kadarius Toney), all of whom left Sunday's game with various injuries.
Chiefs' cornerback L'Jarius Sneed, who missed a majority of the AFC Championship Game with a concussion suffered early in the contest, was also listed as a non-participant as he goes through the NFL's concussion protocol. Willie Gay Jr. was listed as a limited participant, a good sign for the team's best coverage linebacker.
On Thursday, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid took the podium and provided some injury updates on all of the aforementioned players:
Though the four non-participants from Wednesday's estimated report will miss Thursday's practice, there was some optimism moving forward. Reid said that Smith-Schuster could return to practice once the team gets down to Arizona. He's currently dealing with some knee swelling. Additionally, Kadarius Toney, who's nursing an ankle injury, was able to participant in Thursday morning's team walkthrough and is "close" to returning to practice with his teammates. Cornerback L'Jarius Sneed remains in the NFL's concussion protocol following his early exit on Sunday.
Conversely, the news surrounding Mecole Hardman wasn't as positive, as serious doubt was cast over his availability for the Super Bowl. Reid said he doubts that the fourth-year wideout would be able to return in time, which would essentially end his season and possibly his tenure in Kansas City. Hardman is set to become a free-agent this offseason.
