Chiefs starter gives promising update on return from injury ahead of Week 1 vs. Ravens

Kansas City Chiefs S Justin Reid missed the majority of training camp and all of the preseason with a quad injury.

He showed up to training camp and was unable to pass his physical, which ultimately landed him on the non-football injury list . He passed his physical and returned to practice in a limited capacity on Monday, August 12 . However, he didn't see much in the way of action during team drills and he didn't participate in any of the three preseason games.

Reid opened up about the injury for the first time on Sunday, telling reporters that the team operated with an abundance of caution to ensure he'd be ready to play in Week 1.

"Just had a quad injury, a pull, and then just wanted to play it smart and safe," Reid said. "I had a couple of years in the system already, so there's no reason to try and overextend myself to the point where I made the injury worse. So, the primary focus was just getting back healthy, and our training room did a great job of that. We took our time with it. And you know, this past week has been really good for me to get my feedback underneath me and be ready to go Thursday."

Barring a last-minute setback Chiefs S Justin Reid is expected to play in Week 1 vs. the Ravens

It's always a good sign that a player who has been out with injury is speaking to media members. The Chiefs do not allow injured players to meet with the media, so this signals that he'll be good to go against the Ravens.

However, if that sign wasn't enough, Reid flat-out confirmed the good news. He's expected to make his return to the field in Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens.

"Yeah, absolutely that," Reid said. "No limit. We're gonna be out there flying around. I wouldn't play if I didn't feel like — I would not play if I did not feel like I would be an asset to the team — to help us win."

In his two seasons with the Chiefs, Reid hasn't missed a single game, starting 33-of-33 possible regular season games and 7-of-7 possible playoff games. He's established himself as a leader on the defensive side of the ball, recording 178 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, four sacks, one forced fumble, 14 passes defended and one interception.

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