KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs were without first-round pick Mansoor Delane because of a shoulder injury for most of the summer.
They may be without him for a bit of the regular season, too.
The sixth overall pick in the NFL draft — and the first cornerback off the board — made a splash in his Chiefs debut on Monday night when he picked off Broncos quarterback Bo Nix on the first throw his direction. But he was tackled on his ailing
shoulder, and Delane wound up going to the locker room afterward and did not return to the game.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid was short on details afterward, saying only “we’re just going to see where that goes from here.”
Delane didn't seem to be hurt immediately after his interception, sprinting to the end zone to celebrate with his teammates. But he was not on the field for the ensuing defensive possession, and he was soon spotted heading toward the locker room.
The Chiefs are counting heavily on Delane to help anchor a rebuilt secondary.
They traded former All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Rams, then watched as Los Angeles signed fellow starter Jaylen Watson in free agency. The Chiefs also lost starting safety Bryan Cook in the offseason, leaving them to piece together a secondary that could stand up to a division that features the likes of Nix and the Chargers' Justin Herbert.
Even without Delane on the field, and safety Chamarri Conner inactive with a knee injury, they did their part Monday night.
L'Jarius Sneed played well in his return to Kansas City after an underwhelming stint with Tennessee, and Nohl Williams and Kristian Fulton played well at the opposite cornerback spot. Free agent signing Alohi Gilman seemed to be everywhere on the field, and even rookies Jadon Canady and Xavier Nwankpa had their shining moments.
Nix managed just 131 yards passing and the Broncos finished with 176 yards of total offense.
“When you're playing that kind of defense, you can do things on offense and take chances, and I thought they beared down,” Reid said. “I thought the defensive line was tremendous, the run and the pass game, and our secondary was flying around.”
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