Chiefs Activating Richie James Is an Interesting Week 11 Development

When Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke to the media on Saturday, he revealed that wide receiver Richie James would "probably not" be activated off the injured reserve list this week. Later that same day, however, James actually did get added back to the active roster.

Ahead of Kansas City's Week 11 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, this adds yet another wide receiver and return option into the fold. That's if James even plays, though. In their final injury report, the Chiefs listed the 28-year-old as questionable for the matchup on Monday Night Football. His potential return could provide an answer or two but in reality, it creates a multitude of questions.

Where do the Chiefs and James stand with one another? It was just a few weeks ago that both sides were reportedly exploring trade possibilities to get James out of Kansas City. The veteran ultimately stayed with the team and was a full participant in practice leading up to a Week 9 game in Germany, yet the team proceeded to keep his 21-day practice window open. Reid's indication on Saturday afternoon didn't provide a ton of optimism that James would be brought back for Week 11, let alone play a major role.

Speaking of role, what exactly would James do if active on Monday? After a two-target game in the season opener that saw him play 23 snaps on offense, he didn't log a single catch in Week 2 and was on the field for just three offensive plays. In the return game, Mecole Hardman was acquired via trade while James was on IR. Special teams coordinator Dave Toub backed Hardman this week, saying he'll remain the club's primary punt returner. What does that leave James to do? Assume an end-of-depth-chart role on offense with maybe a kick return or two mixed in?

When the Chiefs signed James to a one-year deal this offseason, he was coming off a career campaign with the New York Giants. Playing all 17 regular-season games, the former seventh-round pick hauled in 57 passes for 569 yards and four touchdowns. He also returned 24 punts. In just two games played earlier this season, it became increasingly apparent that he wasn't on his way to replicating that production. Despite Kansas City's constant question marks at receiver, it's difficult to envision a world in which James steps back in and is a legitimate solution. 

The context simply isn't working in James's favor. In the best-case scenario, the fifth-year man is active on the game day roster, logs a handful of offensive snaps and makes a play that boosts his stock for the rest of the season. In the worst case, he's a healthy scratch for Week 11 and that sets the tone for what's to come. In either event, the odds are in favor of the Chiefs counting on James to be some sort of organizational depth. That won't solve the bulk of the team's issues on offense, but it does serve as another interesting development ahead of Kansas City's biggest game of the year so far.