Chiefs fans spent the entire summer obsessing over Patrick Mahomes’ recovery from last season’s ACL-LCL tear. Now, the Chiefs have a much bigger problem on their hands. Coming off a grueling training camp and back-to-back preseason losses, Andy Reid just delivered the ultimate wake-up call: Kansas City is losing bodies at an alarming rate at nearly every position group. If this medical trend doesn’t reverse fast, the Chiefs might just take over the infamous injury crown held by the 49ers, long before the games actually count. 

“Andy Reid says 10 Chiefs won’t practice Monday: Simmons, Conner, Gillotte, Gilman, Cochrane, Caldwell, Hanson, Holiday, Tyreke Smith and Oladokun,” beat writer Matt Derrick said on X. “Oladokun is in the concussion protocol. Trey Smith will go in some form.

This is where the Chiefs’ injury problem starts looking less like bad luck and more like a roster-wide warning sign. Ten absences are not coming from one position group either. They are spread across the offense, defense and special teams, which makes the damage much harder to hide.

Jeff Caldwell

Jeff Caldwell’s situation shows how quickly Kansas City’s depth is getting chewed up. The Chiefs waived the rookie receiver with an injury designation on Aug. 24 after a hyperextended left knee kept him out of practice, then immediately brought in defensive end Niles King to take the open roster spot.

At this point, Kansas City is just reshuffling the roster because of them. Now, this doesn’t mean his time with the Chiefs is over.

So what’s next for Caldwell? He has three options:

• Caldwell stays on IR for all of 2026 as a redshirt year to heal and focus on 2027 development, though this path carries the risk of being released before next offseason, much like former UDFA linebacker Brandon George. 
• The Chiefs pay Caldwell for his estimated missed games due to the knee injury, release him from IR, and allow him to sign with any of the other 31 NFL teams (excluding Kansas City’s 53-man roster). 
• Kansas City reaches an injury settlement to release him, then waits out the required injury duration plus three additional weeks before re-signing him to their practice squad, a roster loophole famously used with Gehrig Dieter in 2019. 

Jack Cochrane

Jack Cochrane’s injury looked ugly from the start. The linebacker hurt his right knee during practice on August 17 and had to be carted off the field, immediately turning what should have been another routine camp session into another injury scare for Kansas City.

Because of the injury, Cochrane will not play in the Chiefs’ preseason game against the Seahawks on Friday. Though he is doing better, the team doesn’t want to take any chances.

“As far as the injuries go, for today’s practice, (Jeff) Caldwell will be out of today’s practice,” Andy Reid said to the presser. “(Jack) Cochrane is doing better with the knee, but he’ll be out.”

Chamarri Conner

Then there’s defensive back Chamarri Conner. The fourth-year safety ran into Tyquan Thornton in practice a week ago; the two players “banged knees,” per Reid. The Chiefs attempted to ease Conner back into practice, but that plan didn’t work, and he’s remained out ever since.

He also did not practice on August 24. Reid mentioned on Monday that he was “getting better” but offered no further update or timeline. 

Ashton Gillotte

The defensive end ruptured the plantar fascia in his foot this week. Gillotte got hurt just two days after his return from a hamstring strain that was holding him back from practice, as per Matt Foster, KSHB 41. The injury occurred on a one-on-one single coverage drill, with Gillotte up against TE Jared Wiley. Since single coverage against a tight end is not easy for a DE, Wiley was able to gain enough separation to secure the catch. Gillotte charged immediately, and in the process, he got caught up in Wiley’s legs as they both fell to the ground. 

ESPN’s Nate Taylor reported that Kansas City is expecting roughly a three-week recovery. That timetable gives the Chiefs some hope for Week 1, but it also leaves one of their young defensive pieces racing the clock before the season even starts.

If Gillotte recovers in three weeks as expected, he could be ready for the Chiefs’ Week 1 game against the Denver Broncos. He also had a solid rookie season in 2025. He recorded 1.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, had eight quarterback hits, and recorded one interception. So his return can be valuable for the team.

But the timeline for his return seems a bit far-fetched. The plantar fascia acts as the foot’s primary shock absorber, connecting the heel directly to the toes. Exploding off the line of scrimmage with a tear is excruciatingly painful, if not physically impossible. Even a partial rupture takes around six weeks to heal.

Alohi Gilman

Then their starting safety Alohi Gilman would not play because of a back injury.

Alohi Gilman hurt his lower back before the Chiefs played the Buccaneers on August 22. During the team’s pre-game warmups, he started feeling back spasms, which are sudden, painful muscle tightness or contractions.

Because of the back problem, the Chiefs decided not to let him play against Tampa Bay. They are taking the same caution against the Seahawks.

Gilman’s absence cuts particularly deep because Kansas City brought him on a three-year deal specifically to replace Bryan Cook after his departure to Cincinnati. Beyond his play on the field, Gilman instantly stepped up as the veteran anchor for a rebuilt, youthful secondary. Without both Gilman and Conner available, the Chiefs were forced to throw secondary depth to the fire, handing first-team safety reps to Jaden Hicks and rookie free agent Xavier Nwankpa.

C.J. Hansen

C.J. Hansen is the biggest question mark on the list because the Chiefs have not even explained what is wrong with him yet. Unlike most of the other injured players, whose issues can be traced back to training camp or the Buccaneers game, Hansen’s problem is still unclear.

That only adds another layer of uncertainty to a roster already getting battered before the regular season begins.

Jimmy Holiday

Wide receiver Jimmy Holiday hurt his quad during Chiefs practice on August 11, 2026. He had to leave practice early because of the injury. A quad injury affects the muscles in the front of the upper leg and can make running difficult.

Holiday did not recover quickly and continued to miss practice for more than a week. Now, he will be sitting out against the Seahawks.

Chris Oladokun

Quarterback Chris Oladokun played against the Buccaneers on August 22, so he did not have the concussion when the game started. After the game, he started having concussion symptoms on August 23, the next day.

He was still having symptoms on August 24, so the Chiefs put him into the NFL’s concussion protocol, which means doctors must check him and make sure he is healthy before he can return to the regular season.

Josh Simmons

Josh Simmons’ back issue is becoming harder to dismiss as a minor camp problem.

The offensive tackle first missed practice around August 18, then sat out the Buccaneers game on August 22, and Andy Reid still listed him with a lower-back injury two days later. For a Chiefs team already watching its injury list swell, Simmons’ continued absence is another problem they cannot afford to let linger.

Tyreke Smith

DE Tyreke Smith hurt his right hamstring while playing against the Buccaneers on August 22. The injury happened in the second half, and he could not continue playing. Before leaving, Smith had made two solo tackles. Andy Reid said Smith “tweaked his right hamstring.”

Because the team is not taking any chances and is keeping him out of the game.

Chiefs’ Injuries Are Hitting Exactly Where Kansas City Can Least Afford Uncertainty

Kansas City can survive a few preseason injuries, but losing Josh Simmons is where this starts getting dangerous. He is not just another offensive lineman the Chiefs can casually replace. When Simmons was out last season, Mahomes faced some of Kansas City’s worst pressure rates, and Sam McDowell argued that Simmons may be the second-most important player on the offense behind Mahomes.

That should be setting off alarms because Mahomes is already coming back from major knee surgery, and asking him to do that behind weaker blindside protection is exactly the kind of gamble Kansas City cannot afford.

The Buccaneers game made the problem impossible to hide. With Simmons sidelined by a back injury, Kansas City turned to Jaylon Moore, Khalil Benson and Esa Pole, and the drop-off was ugly. Arrowhead Pride warned that the offense could struggle badly in pass protection without him. If Simmons misses real time, the Chiefs may have to babysit their tackles with constant chip help and strip down the deeper passing game. For an offense built around Mahomes creating explosive plays, that is not a small adjustment. It is a red flag.

Now, with the injury list growing and protection concerns already showing up, the Seahawks game becomes more than a meaningless preseason finale.

It is Kansas City’s last chance to prove this roster can hold together before the games actually start counting.