Drue Tranquill is back, but 8 other Chiefs miss Friday’s practice

On a rainy Friday morning, the Kansas City Chiefs began the 11th full practice of their 2023 training camp indoors — but moved outside as a thunderstorm moved out of the area. As players arrived on the practice field, Arrowhead Pride’s Pete Sweeney reported that eight Kansas City players were missing practice.

Linebacker Drue Tranquill was back on the field after being absent on Thursday — which was presumably because of the strained neck that kept him out of last Saturday’s session. Second-year cornerback Jaylen Watson was also missing. We expect to learn more about Watson’s situation after practice concludes.

Starting cornerback L’Jarius Sneed missed his third consecutive session with a sore, inflamed knee. Defensive end Mike Danna missed his sixth practice with a strained calf, while tight end Jody Fortson missed his sixth after dislocating his shoulder. Wide receiver Kadarius Toney missed his eighth practice after undergoing knee surgery.

As he continues his contract holdout, defensive tackle Chris Jones is being charged a non-waivable $50,000 fine for every camp day he misses. According to Article 42, Section 1 (b) (vi) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the league and the players union, those daily fines began on the first day Jones was scheduled to report to camp: July 21. Having missed 15 days, Jones’ fines now total $750,000.

Updates after practice

During the session, wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling first appeared to have injured his shoulder after defensive back Nic Jones landed on him awkwardly — but after jogging to the sideline for a snap or two, he came back out onto the field. After practice, he was not mentioned as a player who had sustained an injury.

Head coach Andy Reid forgot to mention it in his opening remarks — but after a reporter reminded him that Watson had been absent from the practice, Reid said that the second-year cornerback had been excused for the day.