Travis Kelce injury update: Latest on Chiefs TE from Jason Kelce for Week 1 fantasy football
The Kansas City Chiefs will deservedly open Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season against the Detroit Lions. While the Super Bowl champions swerved one major injury with Kadarius Toney, who's set to be declared fit for the opener, they were handed a fresh blow this week.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters that superstar tight end Travis Kelce is in doubt to feature this week.
Jason Kelce provides new Travis Kelce injury update:
Appearing on the WIP Morning Show Jason Kelce was asked about injury to his younger brother. The Philadelphia Eagles star is optimistic about his brother's status and provided a positive update.
Here's what he said:
"Trav, this was out on the field, I know he's got some swelling going on, but it sounds like as long as they can that down, you know, he's gonna have a chance to go. The ligaments and everything are intact structurally from what we know right now, and his knee is fine."
"So, really, it's about getting that swelling down and then seeing how bruised that bone is. Because, you know, if you guys have ever had those, they can be pretty painful, especially if it's in a spot that's rubbing all the time. And that can kind of shut down your muscles and do other things, but I think he's gonna be good to go. I really do."
Travis Kelce injury update: Will Chiefs TE be good to go in Week 1?
Andy Reid revealed that the two-time Super Bowl-winning TE hyperextended his knee in practice on Tuesday.
His status for Thursday's Week 1 opener is now up in the air, per Reid.
Considering many were doubting the Chiefs' credentials and their ability to emulate back-to-back Super Bowls, Travis Kelce's injury will come as a crushing blow to the Chiefs offense, especially considering how pivotal the TE is to their game plan.
What happened to Travis Kelce?
Travis Kelce hyperextended his knee in practice while the Chiefs were training for their Week 1 showdown vs the Lions.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell earlier told reporters that he had somewhat of a plan to keep the Chiefs offense at bay.
Campbell said:
“Make him [Patrick Mahomes] go backwards and never turn around where he can throw back that way. That would be about the best way to sum it up. Yeah, look, this guy is – he’s tough. That’s the easy answer to all this."
Campbell's job to scheme against the Chiefs' offense will now be much easier, considering the likelihood of Kelce missing Week 1 just went up.
When will Travis Kelce return?
A hyperextended knee typically takes at least two to four weeks to recover from, which means Kelce's status for Week 1 is seriously up in the air.
Andy Reid stressed as much to NFL reporters this week, adding:
"They [medical staff] are looking at it now. We'll just see how it goes."
Considering the injury, all signs point to Kelce missing out on at least one week of NFL action.
The Chiefs' schedule, however, does not get much easier after Week 1.
The Super Bowl champions will face the Jaguars in Week 2, followed by games against the Bears, before making the trip to MetLife Stadium for a showdown against Aaron Rodgers' Jets. They will then face Sean Payton-coached Denver Broncos, Chargers, and Broncos again, before going up against the Miami Dolphins in Week 9.
Week 10 is a bye week for the Chiefs.
Travis Kelce knee injury: What is the expected recovery time on a hyperextended knee?
Per Doctor Deepak Chona, a Harvard-trained sports surgeon, a hyperextended knee typically takes at least two weeks on average.
This recovery timeline, however, is based on the severity of the injury. On X, Dr. Chona underlined the fact that we have very limited info on Travis Kelce's knee injury at present.