The Kansas City Chiefs hope to get their starters healthy and back on the field for Thursday’s season opener against the Baltimore Ravens. Multiple defensive veterans missed preseason games due to injury, so the team will focus on having them available for action.
Chiefs safety Justin Reid addressed his injury status to reporters on Sunday after practice.
“Just had a quad injury, pull, Just wanted to play it smart and safe. I had a couple of years in the system already, so there was no reason to try and overextend myself to the point where I made the injury worse,” said Reid. “The primary focus was just getting back healthy, and our training room did a great job of that. We took our time with it. This past week has been really good for me to get my feet back underneath me and be ready to go Thursday.”
Reid didn’t play during the preseason, as he decided to play it safe in hopes of not straining the quad more. He reiterated that he is healthy and ready to play against the Ravens this Thursday.
“Oh yeah, absolutely,” Reid said. “No limit. We’re going to be out there flying around. I would not play if I did not feel like I would be an asset to the team to help us win.”
The veteran safety is an essential member of the defensive secondary and is still in line to play a role on special teams. The new kickoff rule could still allow Reid to be utilized as the kicker in specific situations.