The Kansas City Chiefs finalized their initial 53-man roster last week, and the club is already making alterations to it. Kansas City is placing tight end Blake Bell on the injured reserve list, head coach Andy Reid announced via Zoom on Monday morning. It was originally expected that linebacker Elijah Lee would be the corresponding move for Bell, although Reid indicated that there hasn't been a finalized decision made yet in regards to exactly who will take Bell's roster spot.
Blake Bell will be placed on Injured Reserve, per Coach Reid.
No other injury news to report. Coach said that everybody worked today in practice.
- Matt McMullen (@KCChiefs_Matt) on Monday, Sept. 5 at 11:33 a.m. CST
Bell, who was on the 2019 season's eventual Super Bowl LIV-winning team before spending a year with the Dallas Cowboys and later returning to Kansas City, suffered a hip flexor injury in the club's preseason opener. The 31-year-old hauled in a receiving touchdown in the Chiefs' loss to the Chicago Bears but ended up logging just six offensive snaps due to the injury. In his Chiefs career, Bell has recorded 17 receptions for 154 yards and four rushing attempts for 10 yards.
As Bell works his way back to full health following surgery, the Chiefs opted to keep him on the first edition of their 53-man roster to avoid ending his 2022 season entirely. Now, per the NFL's IR policy, all he's required to do is miss a minimum of four regular-season games before being eligible to return.
Without him in the fold, Kansas City will rely on second-year tight end Noah Gray and recent standout Jody Fortson to pick up the pieces. The team also recently signed former Los Angeles Rams and Washington Commanders tight end Kendall Blanton to the practice squad, and his ability to serve as a Bell-like blocking tight end makes him a possible elevation candidate in the near future.
Reid also addressed a pair of other injury-related matters. Ahead of Kansas City's season-opening contest against the Arizona Cardinals, wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (concussion protocol) are expected to be "fine" for this week of practice. "They'll be ready to roll," Reid added. This is good news for the Chiefs as they look to get their 2022 regular season started on a positive note with a new cast of pass-catchers surrounding quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
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