Checking In On The Injured Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs had all the players under contract in attendance yesterday but not all of them were participating. Seven total players did not participate in the initial OTA due to injury, according to reports from Adam Teicher of the KC Star and Josh Looney of KCChiefs.com. They have a lot more detail on the OTAs and what went down at Arrowhead yesterday.

I'm taking a look at the injured guys that didn't participate in practice, starting with the ACL crew...

Jamaal Charles: Suffered an ACL tear last September. He said in April that the Chiefs would "be smart" with him and probably not put him through OTAs, which is a sign the rest of the ACL crew won't participate in OTAs. Charles has said publicly that he's running and cutting. Dr. James Andrews told him earlier this offseason that he's ahead of schedule.

Eric Berry: Suffered an ACL injury last September. From all accounts, his rehab is going well so his lack of participation is probably just a cautionary thing. It's unclear when he'll practice but sitting out all of OTAs seems like a legitimate possibility.

Tony Moeaki: Suffered an ACL injury last September. Same as Charles and Berry. Rehab is going well from what I know. He could sit out the entire slate of OTAs.

Brandon Siler: Suffered a torn Achilles last August. The forgotten inside linebacker. He tore his Achilles so quickly last year that we never really got to see much of him. Coming off that type of injury is extremely difficult, especially when he hasn't already established his spot on the roster yet. He needs OTAs as much as anyone.

Kendrick Lewis: Underwent shoulder surgery the week after the season ended. He had various ailments throughout the season. In comments sent out by the Chiefs, Lewis says he's just waiting on the team doctors to clear him. "Whenever the trainers say it's cool for me," Lewis said, "whenever they release me. I'm just playing it by ear, waiting it out. Everything is going smooth, according to plan, so whenever they're ready to release me, that's when I'll be back." No word on whether he'll participate at all during OTAs.

DeQuan Menzie: Menzie sat out a day of rookie minicamp last week with what he called a hamstring strain. From what I understand, he's also recovering from an injury suffered at Alabama. Chiefs GM Scott Pioli told a group of suite holders a couple of weeks ago at a post-draft event that Menzie is one of the toughest players he's seen, and played through injuries at Alabama (this according to someone who was in attendance). That also means that Menzie has suffered enough injuries to demonstrate his toughness.

Rob Bruggeman: Sufferd a finger injury, according to the KC Star. It happened at rookie minicamp. That's all I know.