Chiefs HC Andy Reid: Hollywood Brown not expected to play in Week 1 vs. Ravens

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Friday that receiver Hollywood Brown is unlikely to play in Thursday’s Week 1 home opener against the Baltimore Ravens.

Brown, 27, has been sidelined throughout the past few weeks after suffering a sternoclavicular joint dislocation in the preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The injury, similar to the one then Chiefs wideout Tyreek Hill sustained in 2019, forced him to spend the night in the hospital before his discharge the following day.

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The injury was expected to knock Brown out of action for 4-6 weeks, and he will indeed in all likelihood not suit up against his former team. Kansas City didn’t place him on injured reserve, which would have required him to miss at least the first four games of the season. General manager Brett Veach said Thursday that Brown is “trending in the right direction.”

“I don’t like talking about medical because if I say something and he’s ahead of that timeline or behind that timeline then I don’t want to put any more pressure on the kid,” Veach said, via Pro Football Talk. “I probably can confidently say it was similar to Tyreek, and I think given that timeline I think it falls within the timeline that Tyreek went through, but I know he’s here every day. He’s to the point now where he can laugh without pain, so that’s a good thing.

“He’s certainly trending in the right direction, and look, there was a reason why we didn’t put him on the IR to start the season.”

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Chiefs looking for others to step up in Hollywood Brown’s absence

Brown signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Chiefs this offseason. Once healthy, he will be a favored target of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The 25th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma, Brown spent the first three seasons of his career with the Ravens. After recording his first 1,000-yard receiving season in 2021, Baltimore traded him to the Arizona Cardinals.

In two seasons in Arizona, he hauled in 118 receptions for 1,283 yards and seven touchdowns in 26 games. He missed time in both of his seasons with the Cardinals dealing with foot and heel injuries.

In his absence, Kansas City will lean on Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Justin Watson, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Skyy Moore and Mecole Hardman at the receiver position.