More help is on the way for the Kansas City Chiefs offense.
Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, the electric wide receiver who was among the biggest acquisitions of the 2024 offseason, is expected back soon from his preseason shoulder injury, and sources say it's likely that he plays before the regular season ends.
Brown has an appointment in Week 15 with his surgeon to potentially gain final clearance, per sources. At that point, if all goes as well as it has been, he's expected back on the practice field and could even play in Weeks 16 or 17.
The Chiefs (11-1) became the first team to clinch a playoff berth with their 19-17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday. While Kansas City has managed to stack wins this season, they've done so with just the 10th-best scoring offense (24.1 points per game) and the 15th-best total offense (341.6 yards per game). An infusion of big-play potential with Brown would help an offense that has seen its fair share of struggles.
A former Ravens first-rounder who played for the Cardinals last season, Brown suffered a sternoclavicular shoulder joint injury in the Chiefs' preseason opener in August. The initial plan was to rehab and return, but he didn't heal as well as first hoped and underwent surgery in early September.
The Chiefs losing Rashee Rice to a major knee injury in early October was a setback, though the midseason trade for DeAndre Hopkins, who's produced 26 catches for 325 yards and three touchdowns with K.C., has helped mitigate the situation.
With running back Isiah Pacheco making his long-awaited return on Friday, Brown's potential arrival would be another added boost.
At the time of the surgery, Brown that he was "disappointed" and "frustrated" but added, "Knowing that this to shall pass, no matter the great opportunity I had in front of me. It's not over and that's not the path God wanted for me and I'm perfectly fine with that now."
Thanks in part to excellent work in rehab, Brown should prove sooner rather than later that his first season with the Chiefs is far from over.
