The Kansas City Chiefs made key moves on Monday, August 19, to temporarily replace their injured long snapper, James Winchester. The team waived injured offensive lineman McKade Mettauer, who suffered an MCL injury, and signed long snapper Randen Plattner, according to Pete Sweeney of Arrowhead Pride.
Plattner, a 24-year-old undrafted rookie from Kansas State, had initially signed with the Baltimore Ravens on May 3 but was waived on August 11 after participating in their training camp. With Winchester suffering an AC joint injury during the Chiefs’ preseason game against the Detroit Lions on August 17, the team needed a replacement, as they had no other long snappers on the roster. Tight end Noah Gray stepped in to long snap during the game, but the Chiefs signed Plattner as a more experienced option. Plattner is expected to play in the preseason finale against the Chicago Bears, giving Winchester time to recover before the regular season opener on September 5.
Mettauer, also 24 and an undrafted rookie out of Oklahoma, joined the Chiefs after the draft and was competing for a backup lineman spot. Unfortunately, his season was cut short by an MCL tear during Week 1 of the preseason against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
During a media session on August 19, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid provided injury updates on several key players, including Chris Jones (shoulder), Jawaan Taylor (shoulder), Joe Thuney (torn pec), Justin Reid (quad), and Winchester. Reid expressed confidence that these players should be ready for the regular-season opener against the Ravens. However, the status of wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, who is dealing with a sternoclavicular injury, remains uncertain for Week 1.
Reid also discussed the team’s plan for their preseason finale against the Bears on Thursday, August 22. He indicated that the starters would likely sit out, allowing the backups to gain more playing time. Reid based this decision on the number of reps the starters had received in both training camp and preseason games, noting that they had more plays under their belt compared to the previous year.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) responded to Reid’s updates, with some expressing relief that most starters should be ready for the season opener, and others appreciating the decision to prioritize the health of the starters by giving the backups more playing time in the preseason finale.
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