Kansas City activates RB Jerick McKinnon to roster ahead of Super Bowl

The Kansas City Chiefs are activating running back Jerick McKinnon from injured reserve to their 53-man roster ahead of the Super Bowl. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport broke the news on Saturday afternoon. McKinnon is still questionable for the Super Bowl and will be a game-time decision.

He reportedly underwent sports hernia surgery in early January, so that’s one of the biggest questions as to whether or not he’s fully recovered from that. Chiefs left guard Joe Thuney, who had been declared out for the game in Friday’s injury report, was placed on the reserve/injured list to make room for McKinnon.

Over the years, veteran tailback has established himself as one of the league’s better pass catching backs when healthy. He had one of his best seasons as a receiver in 2022 in Kansas City, when he hauled in 56 catches for 512 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. One of his best games in 2022 came against the Denver Broncos on December 11th, when McKinnon hauled in seven catches for 112 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

He’s battled a number of injuries throughout his career, including tearing his ACL in September of 2018, when he was with the San Francisco 49ers. McKinnon has spent time with the Minnesota Vikings (2014-2017), San Francisco 49ers (2018-2020), and the Kansas City Chiefs (2021-present) during his NFL career. Two out of the three seasons he was with the 49ers, he was sidelined with injuries.

Nicknamed, “Jet”, he had one of his best years with the Minnesota Vikings in 2017, when he ran for 570 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, while hauling in 421 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

He shined in the 2021 postseason for the Chiefs, rushing for 150 yards and hauling in 165 receiving yards and a touchdown. In 116 games thus far in his NFL career, the former Georgia Southern star has rushed for over 2,600 yards and hauled in over 2,000 receiving yards. McKinnon’s combination of hands with his speed out of the backfield make him an excellent fit for Andy Reid’s scheme.

In college, the Georgia native enjoyed a prolific career at Georgia Southern, where he finished his career third on the all-time rushing yardage list (3,899 yards) and 42 touchdowns. At the 2014 NFL Combine, “Jet” was clocked at an official 40-yard dash time of 4.41 seconds–the second fastest time among running backs. He also led all running backs with 32 reps on the bench press, to go along with an impressive vertical leap of 40.5 inches. In the 2014 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings selected him in the third round (96th overall).