Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid provides latest injury update on WRs Tyquan Thornton, Rashee Rice after Week 4 win vs. Raiders

The Kansas City Chiefs lost two wide receivers during their Week 4 road win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Andy Reid weighed in after the game, and the receiver room looks much thinner heading into the bye.

The Kansas City Chiefs suffered a pair of wide receiver injuries during their Week 4 road win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke about both injuries after the game, providing the latest update on WR Rashee Rice and WR Tyquan Thornton. Rice left the game in the first half after pulling up lame on a five-yard gain. Thornton suffered a serious injury in the fourth quarter after hauling in a 55-yard reception.

According to Reid, the Chiefs had a couple of pretty good ones as far as the injuries are concerned. He first addressed Thornton’s ankle injury, which was clearly the more serious of the two.

“Alright, as far as the injuries go, we had a couple pretty good ones here with Tyquan Thornton’s ankle,” Reid began. “That doesn’t look good, but he’s going to fly back with us, and we’ll get further evaluation later here. And then Rashee Rice tweaked his hamstring there. But I will tell you that the rest of the guys sure picked up the pace on things, and did a nice job at the receiver position, which I appreciate. Next man up, jumped in, and they kept rolling.”

Thornton was carted off the field and had an air cast placed on his ankle. According to Fox 4 Kansas City’s Rob Collins, Thornton was later seen getting off the cart in the Chiefs’ locker room after the game and grabbing a pair of crutches. Reid said Thornton’s ankle injury does not look good. However, further evaluation could still reveal a more positive prognosis. It’s hard to imagine one where he doesn’t miss at least some time on injured reserve.

As for Rice, Reid described his hamstring as “tweaked.” That description typically means the injury is considered relatively minor in the grand scheme of things. The Chiefs also have their Week 5 bye, which gives a player like Rice extra time to get healthy before the Week 6 game against the Los Angeles Chargers.The timing of Thornton’s injury stings. He was emerging as Kansas City’s top option at wide receiver, recording five receptions for 111 yards and two touchdowns against Las Vegas, including the 55-yard catch that he was injured on. Patrick Mahomes called Thornton one of the best teammates he’s ever had after the Week 4 win in Las Vegas. The team will miss him for whatever length of absence he faces.

Several players stepped up at wide receiver after Rice and Thornton went down. Still, the bigger question is what happens after the bye week, because the outlook for the rest of the season has changed.

The Chiefs have just four healthy wide receivers on the 53-man roster:

Those players will be asked to step up. Additionally, Kansas City has wide receivers Omari Evans and Andrew Armstrong on the practice squad. Both could be asked to contribute as the Chiefs put together a post-Thornton plan, with Thornton likely set to land on injured reserve.

The Chiefs also have options to explore through free agency and the trade market. The NFL trade deadline arrives ahead of Week 10 of the 2026 NFL season, so Kansas City has some time to figure things out before making a potential deal.

Then there’s free agent WR Tyreek Hill. The former Chiefs star is recovering from a serious knee injury and has been teasing his return to football, which he hopes will come in October or November. Hill also seemed to react to the injuries in Kansas City’s Week 4 game after the final score.

“Hm,” he wrote on X.It remains to be seen what will transpire at the wide receiver position for the Chiefs, but a Hill reunion would make a lot of sense. The Athletic columnist Michael Silver says he spoke with Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Chris Jones in the locker room after the game. He says those players are all for it.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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