The Kansas City Chiefs suffered their first significant injury of the 2024 season on the opening play of their preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Wide receiver Marquise Brown left the game on Saturday with a left shoulder injury that appeared to have damaged his collarbone, casting doubt on his availability for the start of the regular season.
Coach Andy Reid said Brown departed EverBank Stadium during the game to be further evaluated at a local hospital. Reid also revealed the Chiefs training staff believes Brown experienced a sternoclavicular dislocation, the same ailment that former Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill had in September 2019 on opening day versus the Jaguars.
Should Brown’s dislocation be confirmed, surgery will be necessary, meaning he will probably miss the Chiefs’ first game on September 5 against the Baltimore Ravens. Four to six weeks are typically needed for a full recovery following the operation.
Hill missed four games — a total of 34 days — before he returned in 2019.
Brown is the Chiefs’ top receiver and their greatest free-agent addition; Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy wanted him to play in the game on Saturday as soon as possible. With an 11-yard ball to Brown, quarterback Patrick Mahomes demonstrated the solid rapport the two had built during the offseason and training camp.
However, Brown was tackled by cornerback Montaric Brown and forced to the ground awkwardly on his left shoulder after making the reception. Brown had already left the field and gone into the locker room when the Chiefs’ drive came to an end with a field goal from kicker Harrison Butker.
Brown signed a one-year contract for up to $11 million in March in an effort to increase the depth of the Chiefs’ receiving corps. In an effort to increase Mahomes’ prospects of producing more spectacular highlights with deep completions, the Chiefs also selected receiver Xavier Worthy in the late April draft.
Standing 5 feet 9 inches and 180 pounds, Brown played with the Arizona Cardinals for the previous two seasons, racking up 1,283 yards on 118 catches in 26 games. Hill, who the Chiefs dealt to the Miami Dolphins in March 2022 in exchange for five draft picks, was the previous receiver to be as productive during a two-year span.
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