Additional insight on the Chiefs’ Wednesday injury announcements

Editor’s note: The Chiefs released statements on the injuries to Jordan Devey, Terrance Smith and Daniel Sorensen on Wednesday. Let’s bring in our in-house injury expert, Aaron Borgmann, to provide some notes.

LB Terrance Smith (torn ACL)

The level of involvement is significant here. When you are dealing with structures other than the ACL, specifically the posterior lateral corner, as it is known, the repair and the rehab are a bit more complex. The delay is to help relieve swelling prior to surgery in order to have a more successful procedure, and swelling hinders that. Regardless, the outcome here is the same in that the player is in a good position to return to full function by the beginning of training camp.

OL Jordan Devey (torn pectoralis major)

Tough injury for an offensive lineman to play through given the amount of force that goes through this area of the body. Impressive enough that the athlete could play through it and finish the game, speaks to his level of toughness as I haven’t seen that often. Repair is important given all the punching and bracing done at the position. The average person does this and repair isn’t always indicated as it can be left to scar down. In an offensive lineman’s case, it is important to restore this muscle to full function in order to continue to play at a high level. It would be difficult to return to play in the 2018 season given the time of year that this injury occurred.

S Daniel Sorensen (returned to practice Wednesday from tibial plateau fracture)

I spoke to this shortly after the repair was done. This time period, as was mentioned Wednesday, will be utilized as an advanced rehab stage. By this point, all the functional field work and needed rehab leading up to this has been completed. It’s basically time to see what the athlete can do at increased speeds around other players in game-like situations. Try as we might, it is extremely hard to replicate the spontaneity and forces of football, and therefore a return to the field and acclimatization period is needed to determine level of true ability. The medical staff and coaching staff will be in constant evaluation during this period and attempting to discern whether this player is ready to be activated or is close to that time period. Given the fact that the team has a three-week window, as was mentioned, there are several options here: Activate and play, activate and continue to rehab due to the fact they believe the player is close but needs a bit more time, or revert to injured reserve.

Aaron Borgmann is the owner of Borgmann Rehab Solutions and a former 12-year NFL Physical Therapist and Athletic Trainer.