De'Anthony Thomas has a silver lining in the dark moment of suffering a broken leg for the second consecutive season.
The Kansas City wide receiver and former Oregon Ducks star was placed on injured reserve Saturday after he suffered a broken left leg during practice Thursday. The break was almost in the identical place where he suffered a broken tibia while playing during Week 17 of the 2017 season.
Thomas suffered the most recent injury in what was reportedly a freak accident. A teammate accidentally stepped on Thomas' leg and fractured the same tibia bone that was broken last season. A rod was surgically inserted into the bone following the first fracture, and Kansas City head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder said the rod itself wasn't damaged, meaning Thomas won't need surgery to repair the latest break, but it will take time for the bone to heal.
"The rod is still in place. The rod didn't bend, but he did have a fracture around the old fracture site, so we'll have to take him from playing now and let that heal up," Burkholder told chiefs.com. "All indications are right now that he won't need anything done with the rod, won't need surgery. He'll heal up on his own, but he'll need some time to heal up."
The loss of Thomas removes one of Kansas City's most versatile players from the lineup. Thomas, who had played in the team's first five games, caught three passes for 29 yards and a touchdown. Thomas most important contributions came on the special teams. He led the unit in tackles and returned three kickoffs for 58 yards and one punt for 48 yards.
Allowing time for the bone to heal is why Kansas City placed Thomas on injured reserve. Thomas will be eligible to return to active roster in eight weeks.
-- Geoffrey C. Arnold | @geoffreyCarnold