Update: Monday, 2 p.m. Arrowhead Time
Josina Anderson of ESPN reports that the MRI has confirmed Alex Okafor’s injury.
I'm told MRI confirms #Chiefs DE Alex Okafor has a torn pec, per source.
— ig: josinaanderson (@JosinaAnderson) December 16, 2019
Report: Alex Okafor “feared to have torn his pec”
(Monday, 1:35 p.m. Arrowhead Time)
Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Alex Okafor is “feared to have torn his pec” in the team’s game against the Denver Broncos, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
#Chiefs DE Alex Okafor, who has 5 sacks in 10 games, is feared to have torn his pec, sources say. He’ll have an MRI today to confirm. The FA pickup has impressed this season.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 16, 2019
AO brings down Lock 9️⃣7️⃣ pic.twitter.com/bUURAz9XPs
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 15, 2019
Our in-house injury expert, Aaron Borgmann, weighed in on the injury:
OUCH. Yes, this is definitely a pec mechanism. there are other things that can come from this, but would think that if were case we would have heard shoulder. After seeing this, def worried for pec tear.@ArrowheadPride https://t.co/p08ZrxdL1M
— Aaron Borgmann (@RehabAllStar) December 15, 2019
Essentially confirmation of our in game thoughts from yesterday. If this information is out, team is pretty sure. Most likely MRI has already been completed.@ArrowheadPride https://t.co/RB6vR67MDE
— Aaron Borgmann (@RehabAllStar) December 16, 2019
If confirmed, Okafor would have suffered the same injury as fellow defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, which Borgmann detailed here.
If repair is indicated for Ogbah, the procedure is fairly simple and straightforward. Simple anchors to re-attach the tendon to bone or surgical suturing the tendon back together.
Rehab time period is typically four or five months, barring no setbacks and is obviously position-dependent, but these usually go very smoothly.
Should this athlete require surgical intervention, I would expect him to be fully ready for training camp next year.
Ogbah’s injury occurred in early November, whereas Okafor’s occurred Sunday, but the two should have similar timetables. The Chiefs signed the 28-year-old to a three-year deal back in March.
Okafor likely ends his season with 22 tackles (15) solo, nine quarterback hits and 5.0 sacks in 10 games played.