Chiefs’ Mitchell Schwartz, Sammy Watkins still aren’t practicing as Sunday’s game nears
The Chiefs might have to start making contingency plans at two key positions again for Week 8’s game against the New York Jets.
Neither right tackle Mitchell Schwartz (back) nor wide receiver Sammy Watkins (hamstring) was able to practice Thursday.
Schwartz hasn’t practiced since leaving the game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6 and didn’t play in Week 7. Veteran offensive lineman Mike Remmers will continue to fill in at right tackle if Schwartz can’t play Sunday.
Depending on whether or not he’s able to practice Friday, Watkins could be in danger of missing a third consecutive game. He hasn’t put in on-field work since suffering the hamstring injury in Week 5. Wide receivers Demarcus Robinson, Mecole Hardman and Byron Pringle would continue to fill in alongside Tyreek Hill if Watkins is forced to sit out again.
Safety Armani Watts (illness) also missed another day of practice.
The Chiefs also related some good news regarding injuries, as defensive tackle Chris Jones (groin) returned to full practice Thursday after being limited Wednesday. Jones originally suffered the injury in Week 3 and didn’t play in Week 4, but he has seen action in the past three games at full speed.
Left tackle Eric Fisher (shoulder), running back Darrel Williams (shoulder), guard Andrew Wylie (foot), defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (ankle), center Austin Reiter (knee), defensive tackle Khalen Saunders (elbow) and defensive end Taco Charlton (knee) practiced fully for the second straight day.
Rookie defensive end Mike Danna (hamstring) and offensive lineman Martinas Rankin (knee) were observed participating in stretching and individual position drills during the portion of Thursday’s practice that was open to the media.
The Chiefs on Wednesday designated Danna as return to practice from injured reserve, while Rankin remains on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list after returning to practice last week. The Chiefs have another week to evaluate Rankin before they must make a decision to either activate him to their 53-player roster or keep him on the PUP list.
For the Jets, quarterback Sam Darnold (right shoulder) returned to a full practice after being limited Wednesday.
Safety Bradley McDougald (shoulder), offensive lineman Conor McDermott (illness) and wide receiver Breshad Perriman (concussion) missed a second consecutive day of on-field work. Running back Frank Gore also didn’t practice, but Thursday’s absence is not related to an injury.
This story was originally published October 29, 2020 at 12:21 PM with the headline "Chiefs’ Mitchell Schwartz, Sammy Watkins still aren’t practicing as Sunday’s game nears."
