KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown will have surgery on his dislocated shoulder joint and was placed on injured reserve, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Friday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the move. The designation will keep Brown out at least the next four weeks.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who will address reporters after practice Friday, said earlier this week that Brown was “getting close” to being able to play. But one of their premier free-agent acquisitions was not seen at practice Wednesday or Thursday because of the dislocated sternoclavicular joint that he sustained against the Jaguars on Aug. 10.
The two-time defending Super Bowl champions play the Bengals on Sunday.
The Chiefs had consistently compared Brown’s injury to a similar dislocation sustained by then-Kansas City wide receiver Tyreek Hill in Week 1 of the 2019 season, causing him to miss the next four weeks. And their decision not to put Brown on IR when they cut their roster following training camp was an indication they hoped to get him back within that time frame.
Instead, the surgery to repair the shoulder joint could keep Brown out for several more months.
The rest of the Chiefs’ wide receiver corps was productive in last week’s season-opening win over Baltimore. Second-year pro Rashee Rice had seven catches for 103 yards, first-round draft pick Xavier Worthy had touchdowns running and receiving, and versatile backup Justin Watson hauled in a 25-yard reception on his only target of the 27-20 victory.
The Chiefs also expect to get more from JuJu Smith-Schuster this week. He was released by the Patriots and had just a couple of practices after re-signing with Kansas City before facing the Ravens, which would have limited the amount of plays that Smith-Schuster would have been able to run.
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