Having dug themselves out of an early-season 0-2 hole, the Kansas City Chiefs are back in a prime-time slot. Week 8 sees head coach Andy Reid’s crew take on the Washington Commanders, this time on the Monday Night Football stage.

The good news for the reigning AFC champions is players like halfback Brashard Smith (toe) and wide receiver Xavier Worthy (shoulder/ankle) are both good to go. On the flip side, Kansas City will be without a key piece for their pivotal inter-conference bout.

Right guard Trey Smith is out for Week 8. He’s joined by cornerback Kristian Fulton, wide receiver Jalen Royals, tight end Jared Wiley, running back Elijah Mitchell, tackle Josh Simmons and defensive end Malik Herring on the Chiefs’ list of inactives for Monday night.

Chiefs Will Miss RG Trey Smith on Monday Night Football

Unfortunately for the team, Smith being out shouldn’t come as a big surprise. The fifth-year man was limited to just 17 snaps in Week 7. He suffered an early-game back injury against the Las Vegas Raiders, subsequently never returning to the contest.

Smith missed each Chiefs practice this week, which put the writing on the wall as far as his Monday participation was concerned. When paired with him carrying a “doubtful” designation into the Week 8 bookend game, it was a relatively straightforward call to predict.

Head coach Andy Reid announced leading up to the game against Washington that Smith wasn’t trending in the right direction.

“Alright, really the only one, injury-wise, is Trey,” Reid said. “He didn’t practice today, a little back spasms, we’ll list him as doubtful. We’ll see how he does here.”

At the time, Reid said he hadn’t broken things down with general manager Brett Veach in the event of Smith’s now-confirmed absence. He did admit the Chiefs had options, though.

“I mean, there [are],” Reid said. “I’m not going to get into that right now but yeah, we have enough guys. I haven’t talked to Veach, so I’ll get with him on that.”

On Monday, it was reported that the Chiefs elevated guard C.J. Hanson from the practice squad. Veteran Mike Caliendo is slated to start in Smith’s place. Kansas City will eagerly await the returns of him and Simmons, in particular.

Frustrating Kristian Fulton Trend Continues for Kansas City

The other inactives situation to monitor pertains to Fulton. After being limited by an ankle injury earlier this season, the veteran stopper advanced to full participation in practice for Week 6. Despite that, he missed the ensuing matchup.

Fulton didn’t even appear on the Chiefs’ official injury report for Weeks 7 and 8. That indicates he’s a healthy scratch, yet he’s been unable to earn playing time in the secondary.

Speaking to the media this week, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo explained why Fulton hasn’t seen the field much this season.

“Well, a couple [of] things,” Spagnuolo said. “I mean, it’s, it’s a hard thing for Kristian right now. I think he’s getting there health-wise, but now you’ve lost all the practice time, lost all the reps.”

At the same time, he reiterated that the veteran defensive back must stay ready.

“We’ll see where it goes,” Spagnuolo said. “I talk to [him] usually weekly, about ‘be ready’ because, you know, inevitably in this league, you’re going to need more than two or three, sometimes even four corners.”

In Weeks 1 and 2, Fulton played a combined 17 snaps on defense. He has one tackle on the year — a combo effort. The offseason free agent pickup was inked to a two-year deal in the offseason, yet that investment has yet to manifest itself into on-field production. The Chiefs will hope for a turning of the tide in the near future.

The Commanders will be without quarterback Jayden Daniels and a multitude of others on Monday. Kicker Matt Gay is also included in the list.