Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has managed to keep his team undefeated through numerous injuries and has added another starter to the growing list. The veteran coach announced to reporters on Friday the status of Harrison Butker after news broke on Thursday that the kicker will be placed on injured reserve.
“Alright, as far as the injuries go, (Harrison) Butker is the main one there. He did this in practice, tried it on Thursday and tried to warm up and get going and then wasn’t able to do it. Then, we took care of that.” said Reid. “Then, it was confirmed what it was, and so we – he ended up having surgery this morning.”
Butker’s injury is his meniscus, and he posted on social media that the surgery was successful early Friday morning. Reid also confirmed that he should be able to return this season once he’s healed from the procedure.
“So, the surgery was successful. We’ll see how it all goes, time-wise. I mean, I can’t tell you time-wise, but within that, we brought Spencer Shrader in to do the kicking,” Reid said. “He’s a young guy, so his resume isn’t long, but the ones he’s had, he’s done a nice job with, and he felt comfortable with that, along with Dave Toub, so we invite him in, and he can, you can do the kicking going forward here until but is able to return.”
Reid is confident in Butker’s replacement. Shrader played in Week 10 for the New York Jets and successfully replaced their injured kicker.
“He’s got a very strong leg, and he’s done well. “said Reid. “They used him, obviously elevated him at the Jets, so they had a couple of kickers there, and obviously they favored him.”
The Chiefs face the Buffalo Bills in a crucial AFC rivalry matchup this Sunday, which could affect their postseason seeding.
