Jared Wiley is attempting to stay healthy and get on the field in year two with the Chiefs.
With NFL training camps in full swing, teams like the Kansas City Chiefs are sorting out who will make their 53-man roster ahead of Week 1. Things like injury situations make that math trickier, and the reigning conference champions have no shortage of developments to keep an eye on.
That applies to both sides of the ball. One player, tight end Jared Wiley, is attempting to work his way back from a torn ACL suffered last November. How’s the second-year man holding up this summer? Well, the answer is complicated.
Speaking to the media following an August 4 practice, head coach Andy Reid gave the latest on Wiley. The news isn’t anything close to a worst-case scenario, although Chiefs fans may be a bit concerned about it. Per Reid, Wiley is nursing some swelling in his surgically-repaired knee.
“Yeah, he’s got a little swelling in there, so we’ve just got to watch that,” Reid said. “We were trying to limit his reps and ease him in, but it would swell up a little bit, so we’re just keeping an eye on him.”
While every update to that point had been positive, this is certainly a situation to monitor. For reference, Reid had a more optimistic tone as recently as July 22.
“Yeah, he’s worked hard and it was good to get him back out there and get his timing back,” Reid said. “So I thought he did a good job. He had the one drop down here but other than that, he did a pretty good job out there.”
The arc of Wiley’s recovery stands out. After all, he started camp without being on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. That served as a tremendous signal for his progress and a massive plus for the Chiefs.
Now, not so much. Sure, it’s important to note that swelling and limited practice reps are pretty commonplace for ACL injuries, especially less than a year removed from surgery. If this lingers, however, it could bleed into Wiley’s preseason. Considering he logged all of 94 offensive snaps as a rookie and is fourth on the club’s first unofficial depth chart, he needs all the experience he can get – in practice or otherwise.
