Jeremy Maclin Injury: Updates on Chiefs WR's Ankle and Return

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin suffered an ankle injury during practice on Thursday. 

Continue for updates.    

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Maclin's Injury Described as 'Minor'

Thursday, May 26

According to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star, Maclin left practice early with what Chiefs head coach Andy Reid described as a "tweaked" ankle. 

"He’s OK. No problem," Reid added.

Maclin is preparing for his second season with the Kansas City Chiefs after five with the Philadelphia Eagles. He gave quarterback Alex Smith a bona fide first receiver in an offense that had been lacking an aerial threat.

Maclin put up his second straight 1,000-yard receiving season in 2015, one of two in his seven-year career. He also added eight touchdowns, providing a vast improvement to Kansas City's passing game, as wide receivers in 2014 didn't record a single touchdown reception.

The NFL showed Maclin's connection with Smith last year: 

Most importantly, Maclin managed to stay healthy during the regular season, which hasn't been an easy task. He suffered a torn ACL in 2013, sidelining him for the entire season. 

The postseason wasn't so kind to Maclin, though. He suffered what looked to be a gruesome knee injury in the Wild Card Round against the Houston Texans, but it turned out to be a high-ankle sprain. 

Though it was a difficult week, Maclin did suit up for the Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round against the New England Patriots, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport:

There's quite a drop-off at the wide receiver position in K.C. after Maclin, who caught a career-high 87 catches during the regular season in 2015. The team's second-leading receiver was tight end Travis Kelce with 72. The next-leading wide receiver was Albert Wilson with 35 catches. 

In fact, according to ESPN Stats & Info, Maclin's total of 90 receptions going into last year's divisional round was more than the rest of Kansas City's receivers combined.

Luckily for the Chiefs, it appears they won't have to face a significant amount of time without their best receiver, as there is plenty of time before competitive play starts to make sure his ankle is 100 percent.  

Stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.