"Blake Bell had surgery on that hip flexor," Reid said. "He won't play. Carlos Dunlap has some inflammation in his Achilles, he won't play. It is getting better, however. (Rashad) Fenton, with a groin strain, he won't play. Derrick Gore fractured his thumb, and he won't play. Lucas Niang, we know about with the knee. Then JuJu (Smith-Schuster), JuJu is making progress."
Reid didn't say whether Bell would go on the injured reserve (IR) list to begin the year, saying that the Chiefs will see if that needs to happen. Kansas City did put in a waiver claim on former Los Angeles Rams tight end Kendall Blanton earlier in the week, though, which makes it seem as if the need for another tight end on the roster could exist. Zack Eisen of Arrowhead Report elaborated on that possibility:
In regards to Dunlap and Smith-Schuster, the news is more positive than it was on Monday. Reid's confirmation that Dunlap's Achilles situation is improving provides hope that the veteran defensive end can soon be added into the fold for Kansas City. Reid is confident that Smith-Schuster should be ready to go for the beginning of the 2022 regular season.
As of the publishing of this article, the Chiefs have until 3 p.m. CST to waive two players in order to meet the NFL's required roster amount of 80 players. The Bell situation complicates that a bit if the IR is involved, and the team also currently has Niang on the physically unable to perform list. As its injured players work their way back to full strength, Kansas City will have some decisions to make.
