During this week, we witnessed another disappointing chapter in the Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Felix Anudike Uzomah’s career, when the team placed him on its Reserve/Injured list. On Tuesday’s final cutdown day, the league’s rules would allow the Chiefs to identify Anudike-Uzomah as a player who could be designated to return from IR after no fewer than four regular-season games. But multiple reports have suggested he will not return in 2025.
The former Lee’s Summit High School star has yet to
find his footing as a pro after being Kansas City’s first-round pick out of Kansas State in 2023. While he’s appeared in all of the Chiefs’ regular-season games during the last two seasons, he’s recorded only 3 starts. He’s accumulated 41 total tackles, three sacks, 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
As the team turns its attention to how it will replace him in its defensive line rotation, let’s examine the extent of Anudike-Uzomah’s injury — and what will come next for him.
Analyzing the injury
The injury is being reported as a hamstring strain. As I have reported before, all muscle strains are actually tears whose severity can vary. Hamstring strains are typically graded on a scale of I to III. A Grade I strain is considered minor, while a Grade III strain is typically a complete tear of the hamstring muscle.
There are three hamstring muscles: the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus. A hamstring strain can involve one or more of these muscles.
Based on the information available, Anudike-Uzomah’s hamstring strain appears to be more severe in nature. It is almost certainly a Grade III strain, because less-severe strains would likely involve a shorter rehab period — one that would allow him to return this season. It is also possible that injury could involve something even more serious, such as an avulsion fracture. This occurs when the distal portion of the hamstring tendon pulls away from its bony attachment. This would obviously require a significantly longer rehabilitation period — one that would certainly keep Anudike-Uzomah off the field for the entire season.
The bottom line
Reports of Anudike-Uzomah’s hamstring injury strongly suggest a severe Grade III strain that will keep him off the field for the entire season. If it were a less-severe Grade I or Grade II strain, there probably would have been reports suggesting he could return. If on Tuesday, Kansas City chooses not to identify him as eligible for a return designation, our suspicion will be confirmed.
Anudike-Uzomah is only one of those on a long list of injured Kansas City players. Specifically, the defense has absorbed many injuries to key depth players. After Friday’s final preseason games against the Chicago Bears, the team will have two full weeks to work get these players back to full health before the season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday, September 5 in Saõ Paulo, Brazil.
