Chiefs First-Round DT Peter Woods Pops Up on Injury Report Days Before Chargers Game

As the Chiefs continue prepping for the Chargers, Woods joined the injury report following Thursday's practice.

Aug 3, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Peter Woods (99) walks down the hill to the fields prior to training camp at Missouri Western University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With each passing second, the Kansas City Chiefs are getting closer and closer to their Week 6 showdown at home versus the Los Angeles Chargers. Head coach Andy Reid's crew is hard at work preparing for a bitter division rival to come to down, but the club's injury situation is less than ideal.

Following Thursday's practice, that became even more obvious. In addition to left tackle Josh Simmons and cornerback L'Jarius Sneed being limited and wideout Rashee Rice not participating, another standout player was added to the list.

Per the team on Thursday afternoon, rookie defensive tackle Peter Woods appeared on an updated version of the injury report. The first-round pick is now nursing a neck ailment after not being listed at all on Wednesday when the club had three players (safety Chamarri Conner, fullback Ben VanSumeren and quarterback Patrick Mahomes) deemed full participants.

The silver lining here is there's no reason to worry about Woods just yet. According to Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest, the neck issue is "not considered a big deal."

Two changes on the Chiefs’ injury report for Thursday:

* DT Peter Woods (neck) is added to the report as limited. I’m told it’s not considered a big deal, he should be fine.

* FB Ben VanSumeren (thumb) no longer listed. pic.twitter.com/enGJAYpdYt

— Matt Derrick (@mattderrick) October 15, 2026

Woods, the No. 29 overall selection out of Clemson, has played 126 defensive snaps thus far, good for 46% of those available. He hasn't made a sizable impact in the box score, amassing nine tackles and a pass deflection. With that said, the athletic interior lineman is credited with one pressure and three "stops" by Pro Football Focus. Tracking is a bit different on NFL Pro, which gives him seven stops in four games.

Simmons continuing to be a limited participant shouldn't surprise anyone. The 2025 first-rounder is coming off a significant back injury and is clearly being eased back into the fold following over a half-dozen weeks off. Sneed being limited with knee management is a non-story.

Rice, who hurt his hamstring in Week 4's triumph over the Las Vegas Raiders, is a player to keep an eye on. Given that he hasn't gotten any work for consecutive days, it's becoming increasingly difficult to see him being active this weekend against Los Angeles. Reid typically prefers noteworthy participation in the final practice of the week, so there's still some hope, but Rice would have to be brought along quickly.

Once Friday's practice is over with, the overarching takeaway could be whether Woods bounces back and receives a full workload.

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