The Kansas City Chiefs have endured a spate of offensive injuries. The first one was Hollywood Brown, who went down on his first play of the preseason. It’s been over three months, but the speedy wideout 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 first preseason game vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 10. 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 while with the Chiefs 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 initial reports suggested that he was supposed to be out until January. While that would have put him in a position to return during the playoffs, it would have been extremely difficult to integrate a brand-new receiver in a win-or-go-home environment.
However, a report from NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport before Week 13 said that Brown was planning on meeting with his surgeon before Week 15. In doing so, Rapoport noted the wide receiver was hoping to get cleared to play by Week 16 or 17.
That visit went as expected, with Brown formally getting cleared to practice before Week 15. The Chiefs opened Brown’s practice window, which enabled him to be a limited participant in the final practice of last week.
SEE MORE: NFL Injury Report
On Tuesday, Brown was a full participant in practice, and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said that he has a chance to make his season debut this Saturday against the Houston Texans.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted that this was a light practice since the Chiefs are playing three games in 11 days, but it’s still noteworthy that Brown wasn’t limited in any way to begin the week. After facing the Texans on a short week, Kansas City will have another short turnaround to a Wednesday Christmas Day clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
How Has Brown’s Absence Impacted the Chiefs?
Without Brown, WR Xavier Worthy was thrust into an immediate starting role. There have been some highs but plenty of inconsistency as well. The rookie’s speed has been an asset at times, but he’s also been prone to mental errors. Most notably, Worthy was curiously unable to get his feet in bounds on wide-open receptions near the sideline vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills.
JuJu Smith-Schuster stepped up for a period of time, catching seven passes for 130 yards in their Week 5 win over the New Orleans Saints. But a hamstring strain caused him to miss three games, and he’s eclipsed 10 receiving yards just once in five games since returning.
All of these injuries compelled the Chiefs to make a move at the deadline, acquiring veteran WR DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans. Hopkins has been a crucial add, even in a reduced role at age 32. Since making his Chiefs debut in Week 8, he ranks second on the team in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns, while also catching 68.6% of his targets.
Even with Hopkins, the depletion at WR has caused Patrick Mahomes to rely more on Travis Kelce than the team had intended. The plan was not to overload Kelce during the regular season to keep him fresh for the playoffs. However, Kelce has instead played his highest rate of offensive snaps in a season since 2019.
All this has created a less explosive Chiefs offense that is highly reliant on maintaining a high success rate that allows them to barely stay on schedule. It’s worked just well enough so far, with a litany of close escapes putting Kansas City in a position to earn the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
The hope would be that Brown could help manufacture some of that explosiveness to increase the Chiefs’ margin for error. The issue is that Mahomes suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 15, so it’s unclear if he’ll be able to play this Saturday. Fortunately, like Brown, Mahomes was a full participant in Tuesday’s practice, so perhaps he’ll be able to go.
Mahomes and Brown already have a very short window to build any chemistry on the field prior to the playoffs. The best-case scenario for Kansas City is that both are able to play this week and use these final games to get on the same page. The fact that Mahomes and Brown are both practicing in full is an excellent sign in terms of their potential availability.
Brown’s explosiveness is sorely needed, and it will be interesting to see how the Chiefs integrate him with the playoffs right around the corner.