The Kansas City Chiefs placed wide receiver Tyreek Hill and six others on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday, joining tight end Travis Kelce as potential Week 16 roster casualties.
Others added to the list Tuesday were starting linebacker Nick Bolton, cornerbacks Rashad Fenton and Armani Watts, starting offensive linemen Lucas Niang and Kyle Long, and tight end Blake Bell. All the players added Tuesday were the result of a positive test, per reports.
Hill is the team’s leading receiver with 102 receptions and Kelce is second on the team with 83 grabs.
Kelce — along with kicker Harrison Butker and cornerback Charvarius Ward — landed on the list Monday, casting doubt on the availability of the Chiefs’ top red-zone weapon for Sunday’s game against the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers.
The All-Pro tight end caught the game-winning touchdown and recorded a career-best 191 yards and two TDs on 10 receptions Thursday to help carry the Chiefs past the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers, 34-28.
Bolton, a rookie, is the team’s leading tackler with 102, including 11 for loss. He has started 11 of 14 games.
In preparation for Butker’s absence, the Chiefs elevated Elliott Fry from the practice squad.
Per multiple reports, Kelce is vaccinated and would be subject to the NFL’s new test-to-return protocol with a potential return 24 hours after first testing negative.
Hill has a team-high 1,178 receiving yards and also a Chiefs-leading nine TDs. Kelce has 1,066 yards and seven touchdowns in 2021.
In his most recent meeting with the Steelers (2018), Kelce had a two-touchdown game with seven receptions for 109 yards.
Defensive tackle Chris Jones and WR Josh Gordon were placed on the list last week.
