Kansas City Chiefs’ Hill and Edwards-Helaire practice Wednesday ahead of Steelers game
The Chiefs appear to be in good health ahead of Sunday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Arrowhead Stadium.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said the whole team practiced Wednesday, including wide receiver Tyreek Hill (heel), running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (shoulder) and running back Darrel Williams (toe).
While Reid didn’t reveal the trio’s exact participation level in practice, they did enough to impress him
“They worked and they looked good today,” Reid said. “We’ll just see how it goes the rest of the week.”
The Chiefs later in the afternoon designated Hill as a full participant, while Edwards-Helaire and Williams were listed as limited.
The coming days of practice will present a clearer picture on the availability for Sunday of Hill, Edwards-Helaire and Williams. Hill’ heel became an issue before kickoff in Week 18, and the Chiefs elected to err on the side of caution by limiting his playing time in their 28-24 win at Denver. Hill saw action on just 14 snaps, recording a single catch for 2 yards on three targets.
A fully healthy Hill would be a welcome addition to the Chiefs’ offense in the opening round of the playoffs.
“He’s a special player,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said Wednesday. “He makes the defense account for everybody. I mean, that fact to have his speed on the field, it makes defenses play different coverages. They know they can’t put him in man-on-man situations because of how talented he is.”
If Hill goes into Sunday’s game at less than 100%, the Chiefs would likely rely on wide receiver Mecole Hardman to pick up the slack for another week. Hardman stepped up last weekend with eight catches for 103 yards on 11 targets.
Edwards-Helaire’s appearance on the practice field Wednesday marked his first practice since injuring his collarbone during the Chiefs’ 36-10 win against the Steelers on Dec. 26. The second-year rusher missed the Chiefs’ final two games. Williams was the Chiefs’ featured back in place of Edwards-Helaire until he, too, got hurt: He suffered a toe injury in the first half of Saturday’s Broncos game.
The fully healthy options in the Chiefs’ backfield right now include Derrick Gore, Jerick McKinnon and fullback Michael Burton.
The Chiefs designated tight end Travis Kelce (hip), safety Tyrann Mathieu (knee), left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. (calf), right tackle Andrew Wylie (glute), linebacker Willie Gay Jr. (wrist) and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (knee) as full participants in Wednesday’s practice.
Rookie defensive end Joshua Kaindoh, who was activated Tuesday from injured reserve, was observed on the practice field.
For the Steelers, running back Najee Harris (elbow) did not practice Wednesday. Starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (pectoral, right shoulder), tackle Dan Moore Jr. (ankle) and defensive back Arthur Maulet (concussion) were limited.
This story was originally published January 12, 2022 at 3:01 PM with the headline "Kansas City Chiefs’ Hill and Edwards-Helaire practice Wednesday ahead of Steelers game."
