Chiefs’ Travis Kelce out for season opener vs Lions; see all inactives
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs won’t have their star tight end for the first game of the 2023 season.
Travis Kelce has officially been ruled inactive for the team’s Thursday night season opener against the Detroit Lions.
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According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, this will be the first game that Kelce misses due to injury since 2014.
Kelce was listed as questionable on the Chiefs’ Wednesday injury report after he hyperextended his knee in practice Tuesday, but several reports have said his ACL is intact.
The Chiefs called tight end Matt Bushman up from the practice squad as insurance, but Kansas City has several capable tight ends like Blake Bell and Noah Gray ready to step up.
Gray is entering his third season with the Chiefs after being taken in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft and has flashed ability, scoring once in each of his first two seasons, hauling in 35 catches on 44 regular-season targets. He also is an adequate blocker in the run game.
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Bell brings plenty of experience inside the Chiefs system, logging 13 starts in 34 total games with 19 catches and one touchdown over three seasons with Kansas City.
Bushman has been a practice squad member for the past two seasons and has only seen action in two regular season games in 2021. He has shown his ability as a pass catcher, a blocker and on special teams which is why the team has kept him around after leaving BYU.
Other inactive players
The Chiefs have six other inactive players Thursday night:
CB Darius Rush
CB Nic Jones
DE BJ Thompson
OL Wanya Morris
DT Neil Farrell
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The Lions have five inactive players:
DL Isaiah Buggs
CB Steven Gilmore
DL Romeo Okwara
