Chiefs WR Hollywood Brown’s status vs. Ravens (and 2 others, too): Andy Reid’s update

The Kansas City Chiefs will be without receiver Hollywood Brown for Thursday’s NFL season opener against the Baltimore Ravens, coach Andy Reid confirmed Friday.

Brown suffered a clavicle injury in the Chiefs’ first preseason game against Jacksonville on Aug. 10. Reid previously said the ailment is the same as what Tyreek Hill had with the Chiefs in 2019 when he missed four regular-season games.

“Hollywood won’t be back this week. We’ll just see how it goes,” Reid said. “But the kid’s amazing. His progress has been incredible. But I wouldn’t predict him being there this week.”

The Chiefs have depth at the spot after keeping seven wideouts on their initial 53-man roster. The fact that they didn’t put Brown on injured reserve — a designation that would’ve kept him out the first four games — also points to optimism that the team believes he will return in the next few weeks.

Reid didn’t rule out Friday, however, that a pair of new additions would play for the Chiefs on Thursday. Receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and running back Samaje Perine, who both signed with KC earlier this week, could be available as soon as Thursday.

“I think yes, absolutely. Yeah, I think so,” Reid said of both potentially being able to play against the Ravens. “I’ve just got to see with Perine on where he’s at in picking everything up. I’m not going to put him in a bad position, obviously, but I think he’s going to be fine. He’s been in here cranking away. So we’ll see how everything goes.”

Smith-Schuster should be in a better spot out of the two after playing with the Chiefs in 2022. He told reporters earlier this week that one of the biggest reasons he decided to rejoin the team was his familiarity with Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and KC’s offense.

When asked Tuesday if he might be ready for Game 1, Smith-Schuster said it was “too early to say.”

“I just got the playbook, so some things have changed,” Smith-Schuster said on Aug. 27. “So just taking it day by day. But you never know.”