The Kansas City Chiefs' Wild Card Weekend outing against the Miami Dolphins is closing in quickly, with Andy Reid's team currently putting the finishing touches on prep. As the hosts look to wrap up the week of practice, injury situations are beginning to gain some more clarity as well.
As of Thursday afternoon, though, one member of the active roster is expected to be ruled out due to injury.
Wanya Morris to miss Chiefs' first playoff game of 2024
To lead off his media session on Thursday, Reid announced that rookie left tackle Wanya Morris would be "listed as out" for the Chiefs' Wild Card game. The third-round pick suffered a concussion in Week 18's win over the Los Angeles Chargers, forcing him to miss the remainder of the contest. With a bit of a short week and abbreviated turnaround for Kansas City's opening postseason game, Morris hasn't cleared concussion protocol in time to play.
On the positive side, the Chiefs likely won't be without a starting-caliber left tackle on Saturday. Reid said veteran Donovan Smith is "probably" going to make a start for the first time since Week 13 against the Green Bay Packers. Smith, signed to a one-year contract during the offseason, suffered a neck stinger in Week 12's win over the Las Vegas Raiders and has missed five games in a row. He was a limited participant in practice this Tuesday and Wednesday.
Reid leaves door open for Kadarius Toney, Justyn Ross
The Chiefs were without rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice to close out the regular season, but the second-round pick is good to go for the Wild Card round. He's been a full participant in practice all week despite a minor hamstring injury. Elsewhere, Justyn Ross and Kadarius Toney are being monitored in advance of Saturday's game. Reid, saying that everyone else "has a chance" to play, left an opportunity for either or both to be active this weekend.
"Taking the two receivers day by day that we talked about," Reid said. "So we'll see how they go."
When asked about a potential role for Toney, Reid said it would be "limited" if he does indeed play. The third-year pass-catcher was limited in practice on Tuesday and Wednesday with hip and ankle injuries and hasn't played since Week 15. Ross, who didn't practice on Tuesday but returned in a limited capacity on Wednesday, played a career-high 38 snaps in Week 18 before exiting with a hamstring ailment.
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