The Kansas City Chiefs dished out some unfortunate news on Thursday morning when head coach Andy Reid told the media that defensive end Ashton Gillotte had ruptured his plantar fascia.
Whilst to the un-indoctrinated this appears to be a fairly severe sounding injury, it turns out that it may well be far less damaging to Gillotte’s season that one may have otherwise presumed.
According to an update from ESPN’s Nate Taylor, Gillotte may be able to return in as short as three weeks, and as such has a good chance of being ready for the first game of the season against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football on Sep. 14.
“In their initial evaluation, the Chiefs are optimistic that Ashton Gillotte, who ruptured his plantar fascia, could return in about 3 weeks.” Taylor reported on Thursday, a few hours after Reid’s announcement. “If his rehab goes well, Gillotte would have a chance to be available Sept. 14 to play on opening night against the Broncos.”
Although worry was still present amongst Chiefs fans at the release of the news, head coach Andy Reid alluded to the situation not being particularly serious when speaking to reporters earlier in the day.
“Andy Reid provided a bit more injury detail today, sharing that DE Ashton Gillotte has a ruptured plantar fascia and WR Jeff Caldwell has a hyperextended knee.” Chiefs Digest’s Matt Derrick noted, before crucially noting that Reid, “Still says all of the injuries fall under ‘nicks and bruises.’”
Ashton Gillotte on Track to Return for Season Opener
Whilst “rupturing” is most commonly with a tendon or ligament; either of which would see a player miss close to a year’s worth of action, the plantar fascia is actually the tissue that goes across the bottom of the foot. So rupturing it in this case simply refers to a large tear at the foot-base.
That is not exactly a “nick” or a “bruise” in the traditional sense, but three weeks on the sidelines by
NFL standards is more or less that in comparison, certainly for injuries worth reporting.
Gillotte may have difficulty walking over the next couple of weeks, but the fact that the planta fascia was fully ruptured instead of partially torn may have been a blessing in disguise, as
stated by Peyton Manning when he suffered a similar injury back in 2015.
In the meantime, the Chiefs will look to rookie second round pick R. Mason Thomas and former first rounder Felix Anudike-Uzomah, the latter of whom is in a contract year after having his fifth year option declined this past offseason.
Anudike-Uzomah is likely to get the bulk of the first team reps, with DC Steve Spagnuolo historically preferring experienced, veteran players in the starting lineup over talented rookies â even though steady hype has built up on Thomas over the past few weeks of training camp.
If all goes well, it appears that the most likely (and hopeful) outcome sees Gillotte lineup opposite George Karlaftis on MNF in just under a month’s time.
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