Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill has cleared the NFL’s COVID-19 protocol, as first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Saturday afternoon. Hill had been one of seven Chiefs added to the list on Tuesday, but he will now suit up as the Chiefs welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers to Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter weighed in with news on tight end Travis Kelce, who currently remains in the COVID protocol. Kelce still has a shot to play against Pittsburgh.
Travis Kelce still is expected to take multiple COVID tests by tomorrow but Chiefs expect to get an answer Sunday morning as to whether their tight end can play vs. the Steelers. https://t.co/sP5zosUNYW
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 25, 2021
Chiefs coordinator Eric Bieniemy said on Thursday that if either player was eligible, he would play despite no on-the-field reps this week. Hill and Kelce have been attending offensive meetings virtually.
“If you know anything about Travis and you know anything about Tyreek, they’re out of the building, but they’re part of every meeting,” Bieniemy said. “On top of that, I guarantee you those guys are doing something on their own to make sure they’re in tune to what we’re doing. I’m sure if those guys can run, they’re on somebody’s treadmill running right now within their homes or on the bike doing whatever they need to do to get ready.
“My concern is just making sure that they’re healthy to come and play. If they’re healthy to come and play, we know what they can do and what they’ll bring to the table. These guys have been a part of our system now for a number of years. They will be ready and primed – if that opportunity presents itself.”
Keep in mind that Kelce is likely to be activated from the COVID-19 list later Saturday, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he will be eligible to play on Sunday. NFL rules dictate that the Chiefs need to add any player that can possibly play in the game to the active roster by 3 p.m. Arrowhead Time on Saturday.
At the time of this writing, here are the rest of the Chiefs still on the Reserve/COVID-19 list: Butker (added — along with Kelce — to the list on Monday), linebacker Nick Bolton, cornerback Rashad Fenton, offensive linemen Kyle Long and Lucas Niang and safety Armani Watts (all added to the list on Tuesday) and punter Tommy Townsend (added to the list on Friday).
Wide receivers Gehrig Dieter and Daurice Fountain and linebacker Darius Harris remain on the practice squad Reserve/COVID-19 list. Offensive lineman Mike Remmers had also been moved from injured reserve to the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
