Star running back Kenneth Walker knows that the loss of veteran wide receiver Tyquan Thornton could throw a wrench in the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive game plan.
During the Chiefs' Week 4 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, Thornton suffered a serious ankle injury that will sideline him for 12 to 16 weeks. The injury occurred at a bad time, considering Thornton was enjoying a career game wherein he tallied five receptions for 111 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Thornton was also enjoying a breakout campaign as the Chiefs' go-to wide receiver with 11 catches for 219 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
In a one-on-one interview with DJ Siddiqi of Chiefs Wire, Kenneth Walker broke down his reaction to Thornton's injury.
"I just told him I'll be praying for him," Walker told Siddiqi. "He was in high spirits after the game. That's at least a positive, and you know he's a team guy. But obviously you never want to see your teammate or brother go through that. I'm gonna just continuously talk to him because I know how it is to not be able to do what you love to do."
The Chiefs have gotten off to an impressive start this season, averaging 29.5 points per game with the help of Walker and Thornton.
When asked what the Chiefs are missing without him in the lineup, Walker described the qualities that make Thornton a special player.
"A dynamic player, unselfish," said Walker of Thornton. "He's super unselfish. In the run game, he's coming down to block, but also in the pass game, the speed that he has, he can take the top off, and you've seen that during that game and throughout the season at the beginning of the season. We definitely will be missing him."
The Chiefs have been linked to former Pro Bowl wide receiver Tyreek Hill following Thornton's injury. They also made a move to fill the void from Thornton's injury, signing their former receiver, Justin Watson, to the practice squad. Watson won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs and caught 42 balls with five touchdowns during his two seasons with Kansas City in 2022 and 2023.
There is hope that Thornton can return for the Chiefs' postseason run, but that will be determined at a later date. Kansas City will look to remain undefeated without Thornton when they host the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6.
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Chiefs' Kenneth Walker on impact of injury to Tyquan Thornton