Jody Fortson had surgery to repair torn Achilles on Wednesday; Andy Reid comments

It didn’t take long for the Kansas City Chiefs to confirm all of our worst fears regarding the non-contact injury that tight end Jody Fortson suffered in the second half of the game against Washington. It was a torn Achilles — and a few days later, head coach Andy Reid shared that the recovery process had officially begun.

“Jody Fortson had surgery this morning on his Achilles,” Reid shared with reporters during the opening of his Wednesday press conference.

Fortson had become a fan favorite in training camp over the last three years, coming in as a towering wide receiver that caught everyone’s eye. After working for two years to make the team as a tight end, he made this season’s 53-man roster — and began to make an impact on the field: he caught all five of his targets this season, totaling 47 yards and two touchdowns.

He made the best play of his young career against Washington when he made a leaping grab in the red zone during the first quarter. Unfortunately, the highlight will be the last catch he makes this season.

“Things happen in this business; he’ll be back,” Reid assured. “He’s built a nice foundation for himself. He got a taste of it, so it’s just a matter of him getting into rehab and getting himself back — but he knows he can play now. Not that he didn’t before, but he’s done it... there’s no easy way around it, he’s going to miss it — but he’ll be plenty busy rehabbing that thing.”

Fans will likely have to wait until the 2022 season to see Fortson back in action; from Reid’s comments, there’s reason to be confident that he’ll be back making plays for Kansas City then.