A loss in the preseason is inconsequential, so the Kansas City Chiefs dropping the exhibition opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars won’t have anyone inside Arrowhead Stadium losing any sleep. However, a loss on the personnel side in these games is a different story entirely. And that’s what appears to be unfolding for the defending back-to-back champs.
In the preseason opener, Kansas City elected to roll out the first-team offense for the initial series. On top of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, that included new free agent addition Hollywood Brown. The veteran receiver even flashed his potential out of the gate with an 11-yard catch on the very first play of the game. That reception proved costly, however, as Brown was in noticeable discomfort after coming down with the catch. The team later listed him as questionable due to a shoulder injury.
Postgame, head coach Andy Reid told reporters that Brown suffered a sternoclavicular joint dislocation — where your clavicle comes into your sternum — and has been hospitalized for further evaluation.
Reid noted that this was the same injury former Chiefs star receiver Tyreek Hill suffered in 2019 that forced him to miss four weeks. The Chiefs’ regular season opener is on Sept. 5, which is a little under a month away. Brown’s status for that game in now in doubt.
Before landing with the Chiefs this offseason, the 27-year-old was a first-round draft choice of the Baltimore Ravens in 2019 out of Oklahoma. There, he flashed his skills as a deep threat, including a 1,000-yard campaign in 2021. Brown was then traded to the Arizona Cardinals in 2022. Over the next two years, Brown either battled injuries himself or injuries to his quarterback, which stalled his production. In 14 games played last season, however, he caught 51 balls for 574 yards and four touchdowns.
