Chiefs HC Andy Reid provides injury update on two key receivers as practice for Week 1 vs. Chargers in Brazil gets underway

The Kansas City Chiefs have officially begun their practice week ahead of their trip to Brazil for their Week 1 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Ahead of practice on Sunday, Chiefs HC Andy Reid met with media members and kicked off his press conference with an update on who would and wouldn't participate in practice. The team is getting healthier compared to a week ago, when they had three players absent from practice. Only one player will be absent on Sunday.

"As far as the injuries go today for practice, really (Jalen) Royals is the only one who won't go for practice," Reid said. "Everyone else will go."

Royals is dealing with knee tendinitis and is not expected to be available for the first week of the 2025 NFL season. It's unclear how long he's expected to be out at this time, but this puts WR JuJu Smith-Schuster in line for a significant workload in the future. That's especially the case with Rashee Rice on the reserve/suspended list for the first six weeks of the season.

The other good news is that veteran LB Jack Cochrane (knee) and Chiefs rookie DT Omarr Norman-Lott (ankle) are back at practice after missing time last week with injuries. It also means that WR Hollywood Brown (foot/ankle) is on track to make his return after missing the preseason.

Chiefs WR Hollywood Brown is practicing and expected to play in Week 1 vs. Chargers

Hollywood Brown was unable to suit up for Week 1 last season after suffering a sternoclavicular joint injury on the first offensive snap of preseason Week 1. This year, he suffered a foot/ankle injury on July 29 that sidelined him for the entirety of the preseason.

The Chiefs have been taking every possible precaution leading up to the trip to Brazil to ensure that he'd be available. As things stand on Sunday, it sounds as if Brown is tracking to play. How much will he play after missing the entire preseason? Reid doesn't seem too worried about that.

"Yeah, so listen, I think he'll be okay," Reid said of Brown. "He's a veteran guy. If he was younger, I'd be more worried about it, but he's a veteran guy that kind of knows how to go about it. He should be fine. And we've got guys who can kind of rotate in, too. So, it's not... We'll mix and match as we go."

With Royals and Rice slated to miss the game, they'll need all the help they can get at the receiver position, even if it's just a handful of snaps from Brown as he gets his football legs back under him. We'll see how much he participates in practice this week when the Chiefs' first injury report is released on Tuesday, Sept. 2. Wednesday's injury report will be an estimation since the team travels to Brazil. Thursday's injury report will be based on a walkthrough.