Former BYU tight end Matt Bushman was enjoying the best game of his young NFL career Thursday before an injury ended his night — and will keep him shelved for a while.
Bushman caught two touchdown passes for the Kansas City Chiefs in a 17-10 win over the Green Bay Packers on Thursday.
His night ended, though, with an injury after his third reception, and in his postgame press conference, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters Bushman had a broken clavicle.
“Bushman’s got phenomenal hands, and he’s shown that all through camp. He was just coming back off where he tweaked his knee (last week), and then he landed on (his shoulder),” Reid said of his injury Thursday.
“You could kind of see the way it was — he was wrapped up and fell on it. I knew something was wrong there with the shoulder.”
The injury is particularly untimely for Bushman and the Chiefs, with an injury that typically requires a 6-8 week recovery period, according to Forbes.
Recently, Kansas City backup tight end Blake Bell underwent surgery for a hip flexor injury, leaving the team looking for depth answers behind All-Pro starter Travis Kelce.
Teams also must trim their active rosters from 80 players to 53 by next Tuesday, adding importance to Thursday’s preseason finale.
Bushman made his best case for sticking around and providing depth prior to the injury.
Midway through the second quarter, quarterback Shane Buechele found a wide open Bushman, and the duo connected for an easy 54-yard touchdown pass, Bushman’s first pro score.
In the third quarter, Bushman snagged a pass in tight coverage near the goal line and scored on a 2-yard play.
Later in the quarter, he took a short pass from Buechele for 17 yards, though that’s when he got hurt and left for the locker room.
He finished the game with three catches for 73 yards.
Bushman is in his second NFL season after entering the league as an undrafted free agent.
He spent most of the 2021 season on the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad.