Chiefs place OLB Justin Houston on the PUP list, out at least six weeks

The Kansas City Chiefs knew they were going to be without Justin Houston for most, if not all, of training camp when he underwent ACL surgery back in February. They didn’t know how long he would be sidelined, though.

On Tuesday, Houston was placed on the physically unable to perform list, sidelining him for at least the first six weeks of the season. According to Ian Rapoport, the Chiefs are hoping he can return by midseason.

The #KCChiefs placed OLB Justin Houston (ACL) on PUP list, so he’s out 6 games. They are hopeful for a midseason return.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 30, 2016

This is obviously a huge blow to the Chiefs, who are considered serious contenders in the AFC West. He led the league with 22 sacks in 2014 before missing five games last season.

Now, it’s not certain he’ll even play in 2016. In April, general manager John Dorsey said this:

"Not being a medical expert, I really can't definitively tell you that answer, but I would say that our doctors have reassured us that he will play this season."

His original timetable for return was six to 12 months following the procedure, which is a huge span, of course. At this point, any contribution at all from Houston would be a big lift to the Chiefs.