Chiefs Announce Sudden Chamarri Conner Decision Hours Before Dolphins Game

Kansas City Chiefs safety Chamarri Conner will not suit up Sunday in Miami , sidelined for a third straight week by the same knee that has trailed him through the first quarter of the 2026 season.

The Kansas City Chiefs safety went from doubtful to out with only about two hours to go before kickoff Sunday, leaving a secondary that has already logged two games without him to lean once more on a pair of backups against a Dolphins team still in search of its first win.

Conner was limited in practice all three days last week, according to the Chiefs' official injury report, before Kansas City tagged him doubtful Friday. Coach Andy Reid framed the workload as progress.

"He's making progress, so he's up practicing and moving around," Reid said Friday, as quoted by Arrowhead Pride , describing Conner's status heading into the weekend. The club made it official Sunday morning, ruling teh 26-year-old out for the Dolphins game. His next chance to return comes Oct. 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders .

Kansas City Chiefs' Chamarri Conner Injury Timeline

Conner has yet to play a snap in 2026. He sat out the opener against Denver and Week 2 against Indianapolis with the same knee, marking his third consecutive missed game to start the year. It is not his first extended absence. He also missed the final two weeks of 2024 with a concussion.

Born July 11, 2000, in Jacksonville, Florida, Conner starred at multiple positions in the secondary at Virginia Tech before Kansas City traded up with Minnesota to grab him in the fourth round, 119th overall, in the 2023 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year, $4.59 million rookie contract , according to Over The Cap, and has since collected a Super Bowl LVIII ring.

The safety's workload ballooned last season, when he played nearly every defensive snap and racked up a career-high 117 tackles. He has 230 tackles across three NFL seasons to go with four interceptions and three forced fumbles, one of which he returned for a touchdown against Cincinnati in 2024.

Safeties Jaden Hicks and Alohi Gilman have played every defensive snap through two games and will start again Sunday, with rookie Xavier Nwankpa in reserve. Hicks has already turned heads, posting 10 tackles in Kansas City's overtime win over Indianapolis, a workload that will only continue to grow as long as Conner remains sidelined.

Losing Conner costs the Chiefs their most versatile piece in the secondary, a safety who can play in the box, cover the slot and line up as a hybrid nickel. Without him, Kansas City may lean harder on cornerback Mansoor Delane to fill that role. Reid sounded confident Friday about Delane's availability.

"Good chance, yeah," Reid said, as quoted by Chiefs On SI , when asked if Delane would play against Miami.

Chris Jones and L'Jarius Sneed each carry no game-day designation despite limited practice work, and left tackle Josh Simmons is out for a third straight week with a training-camp back injury. The rest of Kansas City's roster, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes , is otherwise healthy.

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's unit has already survived two full games without Conner, and Miami's offense has managed just 13 points per game so far. The real question hovering over Kansas City's secondary isn't whether it can cover for one missing piece. It's whether Hicks keeps holding up as an every-down starter rather than the rotational piece he was a year ago.