Matt Cassel Injury: Updates on Chiefs QB's Concussion

Matt Cassel is still working towards moving past a concussion he sustained in Week 5 and kept him out of the Kansas City Chiefs' Week 6 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

UPDATE: Tuesday, October 16 at 12:19 p.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

Great news for Chiefs fans as Matt Cassel (concussion) is showing signs of improvement. Kansas City Star's Bob Dutton has the latest:

"

#Chiefs say QB Matt Cassel has been cleared for non-contact drills. Will split reps this week with Brady Quinn.

— Bob Dutton (@Royals_Report) October 16, 2012"

---END OF UPDATE---

The Chiefs have their bye this week, so Cassel has extra time to recover before he is forced to miss game time. However, he is not guaranteed to regain his starting job when he does recover. 

ESPN's Bill Williamson reported that Cassel has yet to be cleared to play, and he passed along this quote from head coach Romeo Crennel on who the team's starter will be when that happens:

"

When Matt is cleared to practice football, then we’ll evaluate it and then we’ll make the decision at that time.

"

This response is not surprising. His decision will certainly be affected by the timing of Cassel's return. If Cassel misses a whole week of practice, he will be a lot less likely to start.

Also, let's face it—Crennel is in an unenviable position. He is being asked to make a choice between two terrible options. 

Cassel has thrown five touchdowns to nine interceptions and earned a quarterback rating of 66.2. He has been such a detriment to the offense that Kansas City has almost abandoned the passing game like when Tim Tebow was their quarterback, and Cassel isn't even much of a runner. 

And while Cassel was crippling this offense, the Chiefs still kept backup Brady Quinn on the bench until Cassel had to be assisted off the field. 

This wasn't because the Crennel and the Chiefs coaching staff is tied to Cassel—it is because Quinn is just as terrible, and he proved that last Sunday while making his first start since 2009. Quinn had no touchdowns, two interceptions and a rating of 48.1, and his 57.9 completion percentage is 0.6 percent lower than what Cassel has turned in this year. 

The Chiefs coaches do not have a lot to work with here.