Christmas may come early for the Chiefs this season.
Marquise Brown, who has missed the duration of the 2024 campaign with a shoulder injury, is targeting a Week 16 return to the field, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday on NFL GameDay Morning.
In the past week, Brown was cleared by doctors to return to practice, designated by the team to return off injured reserve and a limited participant in Friday's practice. By Saturday, the Chiefs wide receiver may just complete his recovery by playing his first regular-season game for the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Brown inked a one-year deal with Kansas City in the offseason to serve as one of Patrick Mahomes' go-to receivers, but the wideout suffered an SC joint dislocation in the Chiefs' preseason opener, sidelining him for the bulk of the year.
Kansas City has until Jan. 3, the Friday before Week 18, to activate Brown from injured reserve, but it sounds like the WR will be ready by next Saturday's showdown with the Houston Texans.
If and when he makes his K.C. debut, Brown will be a welcome addition to a 12-1 Chiefs club that has already wrapped up its ninth straight division title but is in no way at the peak of its powers heading into the postseason. Kansas City is thriving in close games but lacks some of the firepower that has defined Andy Reid offenses of years past.
The Chiefs lost Rashee Rice for the season in October and was without Isiah Pacheco for months. They have since restocked their receiving corps with midseason acquisition DeAndre Hopkins to pair with Xavier Worthy and welcomed Pacheco back into the fold.
How Brown fits in K.C.'s offense remains to be seen but could be on display as early as next week.
