The Kansas City Chiefs have been ravaged by offensive injuries. While the big ones were Rashee Rice and Isiah Pacheco, long before both of them went down, the Chiefs lost Hollywood Brown. It’s been over three months, but the speedy WR appears to be nearing a return from a serious shoulder injury. What is the latest on Brown’s status?
What Is Hollywood Brown’s Injury?
The Chiefs lost Brown at the very beginning of their very first preseason game. He caught his first and only target, fell on his shoulder, and did not return.
After the game, it was reported that Brown suffered a sternoclavicular joint injury similar to the one Tyreek Hill sustained in 2019. That injury only cost Hill four games. However, SC joint injuries are rare and can be very dangerous if not handled properly. Unfortunately for Brown, his injury required surgery to repair, resulting in a far lengthier absence.
When Will Brown Return From Injury?
Brown has been on injured reserve since September, and we haven’t really gotten an update … until last week. The WR tweeted out a simple emoji.
Last Wednesday, Andy Reid said that Brown was “making very good progress.” It sure sounds as though Brown is nearing a return.
Currently, the rumor is Brown will get back on the practice field within the next 2-3 weeks, eyeing up the Chiefs’ Christmas Day game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, at this point, the team has not yet opened Brown’s three-week window. He remains without an official timeline.
How Has Brown’s Absence Impacted the Chiefs?
Without Brown, WR Xavier Worthy got involved right away with mixed results. The rookie is very fast but is clearly very unpolished as a receiver. He’s been prone to mental errors, most notably an inability to get his feet in bounds on wide-open receptions near the sideline.
With the Chiefs also losing Rice a month into the season, they’ve had to piece together a WR corps by signing JuJu Smith-Schuster and trading for veteran DeAndre Hopkins.
The injuries to the team’s WRs forced Patrick Mahomes to rely more on Travis Kelce than the team had intended to. The plan was to not overload Kelce during the regular season in an effort to keep him fresh for the playoffs. Once Mahomes was down to a starting WR trio of Worthy, Justin Watson, and Smith-Schuster, he had no choice but to turn to his trustworthy tight end.
Rice is done for the year, but if the Chiefs can get Brown back in time for the playoffs, it is certainly possible he will heavily eat into Worthy’s role and playing time. Their base two-receiver set would likely be Brown and Hopkins. As always, though, expect a heavy rotation where as many as five receivers play at least 30% of the snaps.