We're five days before the start of the 2011 season with the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Buffalo Bills and we don't know what the status of WR Jonathan Baldwin is. He reportedly got into a tussle with RB Thomas Jones which resulted in what's been reported as a thumb injury causing him to miss the final three preseason games.
So what's his status for Week 1 against the Bills?
We don't know and we probably won't know for a few days. Starting on Wednesday and continuing through Friday, the Chiefs will, per league rules, release a practice report indicating whether a player was a full, limited or non-participant in practice.
On Friday, the Chiefs will determine whether the injured players are probable, questionable, doubtful or out. If Baldwin is probable or questionable, then he has a legitimate shot of playing. No starter listed doubtful ended up playing last year so you can basically rule that out.
So we're probably not going to get any useful information out of the Chiefs until Friday when they have to list his status. Chiefs coach Todd Haley says that players generally have to practice to play so we should get an idea of whether Baldwin even has a chance at playing.
That said, even if he's in the lineup, it's hard to see him being a significant contributor considering how much time he's missed.