2023 ACC football: TE Travis Kelce Suffers Knee Injury before real match

After tests Tuesday, the Kansas City Chiefs believe All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce's ACL is intact, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Kelce has inflammation in his knee and the Chiefs will test it again Wednesday to determine his availability for the NFL's season opener on Thursday night against the Detroit Lions, the source said.

Earlier Tuesday, Chiefs coach Andy Reid had announced Kelce suffered a hyperextended knee during Tuesday's practice.

As for what the offense might look like against the Lions if Kelce can't play, Moore said, "It'll be a little bit different. ... Everybody will be able to fill in the gaps. Obviously, that's a Hall of Fame tight end, but we'll be able to do our job and pull across the finish line."

The Chiefs entered the offseason with questions once again at receiver, with young players like Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore expected to take on bigger roles. The safety net to all the WR discussion was the assumption that Kelce would continue to be Mahomes' security blanket and big-play target.

Now, two days from the 2023 Kickoff Game, that assumption is in question.

With the Chris Jones situation still unresolved, it's possible K.C. could be without two of its biggest stars come Thursday.

The first big change might not be a wholly unexpected one. While his blocking skills have improved, Kelce is a future Hall of Famer for his receiving exploits. Over the past five years, the Chiefs have run the ball more than 58% of the time when Kelce isn't on the field with Mahomes compared to under 35% of the time when he is. Some of this is common sense -- the Chiefs lean more run-heavy when their best pass-catcher needs a breather -- and some of it is situational. In the 2021 contest Kelce missed for COVID-19, the Chiefs ran 35 times and passed only 30, but they were also ahead almost the entire game, a 36-10 win over the Steelers.

With Jody Fortson already on the injured reserve list, the Chiefs' tight end room on the roster features the likes of Kelce, Bell and Noah Gray. Matt Bushman is available on the practice squad and could be elevated for game day if Kelce misses any time, which gives Kansas City a bit of flexibility. Reid ran a very healthy amount of sets with multiple tight ends (12- and 13-personnel) last season, and there was no reason to believe that the reliance wouldn't exist again in some capacity in 2023. Kelce is a massive part of that equation; him being limited or rendered inactive would still be a serious blow to the team's scoring prospects on offense.

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Sarah H

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