The Kansas City Chiefs suffered their first serious injury of the 2024 season on the first snap of their preseason opener, as wide receiver Marquise Brown injured his left shoulder and appears to have damaged his collarbone during Saturday’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and is questionable to play for the regular season opener.
Coach Andy Reid said Brown left EverBank Stadium during the game and would undergo further evaluation at a local hospital, and that the Chiefs’ training staff believes Brown suffered a dislocated sternoclavicular joint, the same injury former Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill suffered in the 2019 season opener against the Jaguars in September.
If Brown truly dislocated his ankle, he would need surgery and likely miss the Chiefs’ season opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 5. In most cases, a full recovery after surgery takes four to six weeks.
Hill missed four games and a total of 34 days before returning in 2019.
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Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy wanted Brown, the Chiefs’ No. 1 receiver and biggest free-agent acquisition, to play as soon as possible on Saturday, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed an 11-yard pass to Brown, showcasing the strong bond they have built throughout the offseason and training camp.
But after completing the reception, Brown was tackled by cornerback Montaric Brown and fell awkwardly to the ground on his left shoulder. Brown had already left the field and gone to the locker room before the Chiefs’ drive ended with a field goal by kicker Harrison Butker.
Brown signed a one-year contract worth up to $11 million in March to add depth to the Chiefs’ receiving corps, and the Chiefs also drafted receiver Xavier Worthy in late April to give Mahomes more opportunities to deliver explosive highlight-game shots on deep passes.
The 5-foot-9, 180-pound Brown spent the past two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, where he had 118 catches for 1,283 yards in 26 games. The Chiefs haven’t acquired a receiver with such a production run over two seasons since trading Hill to the Miami Dolphins for five draft picks in March 2022.
(Photo: Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)