Through two weeks of the 2024 NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs have dealt with plenty of injury-related news.
Chiefs WR Hollywood Brown's SC joint dislocation in preseason Week 1 wasn't healing properly and required surgical intervention, putting his season in doubt. Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco suffered a fractured fibula in the fourth quarter of Sunday's win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Chiefs also await the return of DE Charles Omenihu, who had an ACL tear in last season's AFC title game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Here's all of the latest information on this trio of injuries.
Timeline for Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco's recovery, return
Reports indicate that Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco will miss 6-8 weeks with a fractured fibula at the ankle joint . There is still no word on whether he had any additional ligament damage discovered. The most recent reports indicated he was still undergoing additional tests to determine that.
I was told initially that the fear was he suffered a similar injury to the one Dallas Cowboys RB Tony Pollard had suffered in January of 2023, which included a fibula fracture and high ankle sprain (ligament damage). Pollard had a three-month recovery timeline after he underwent a "tightrope" procedure as opposed to a procedure with screws, plates, or a metal rod in his leg.
Depending on whether there is accompanying ligament damage, even when Pacheco returns for Kansas City this season, he might not be 100 percent. Look for Pacheco to be back at practice by the first week of November, and potentially return in a limited capacity during the team's Week 9 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Pacheco has not yet been placed on injured reserve. It's possible that the team doesn't place him on IR initially, knowing that they currently have two free spots on the 53-man roster. They don't need to rush on the decision being that players placed on IR must miss just four weeks before they can be designated to return.
Chiefs WR Hollywood Brown has successful surgery
Chiefs WR Hollywood Brown took to X (formerly Twitter) to self-report that the surgery to repair his SC joint dislocation was successful. The surgery was performed by Dr. Peter Millett in Vail, Colorado.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Brown is not expected back any earlier than late January. One reason for optimism is that there isn't much information on this type of injury with NFL athletes. It's a rare injury for NFL players and somewhat uncharted territory . Expect that periodic check-ins and imaging post-operation will determine his true timeline for return. Just don't get your hopes up for much, if anything from Brown during the 2024 NFL season.
He signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs back in March. He could be a candidate to re-sign with Kansas City in 2025.
Charles Omenihu seven months post-operation update
Chiefs DE Charles Omenihu is seven months removed from his ACL operation this week. He took to X (formerly Twitter) to celebrate.
Omenihu has stayed patient in his rehab and recovery process. He's eligible to return to practice from the Reserve/PUP list in Week 5 if he can pass his physical at that juncture. It might be a bit early for him as he continues to work his way back to the field.
Things appear to be on schedule, if not slightly ahead of schedule for No. 90. Omenihu previously hinted at a Week 13 target return date against the Las Vegas Raiders. He would be nine months post-op at that juncture.
Omenihu has certainly been missed to start the year as the Chiefs have struggled to generate pressure when rushing four through Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season.
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