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Kansas City Chiefs running back Spencer Ware likely will need season-ending surgery after tearing the PCL in his right knee during Friday night's preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder said Ware also suffered additional damage to the knee.
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"He has a torn posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), and with that ligament often times with rehab you can play," Burkholder told reporters. "His issue is that he also has some damage to what's called the posterolateral corner of his knee. That's the outside back portion of his knee that's made up of ligaments and tendons. He damaged those and, at this point in time, our medical staff believes that he needs season-ending surgery to correct that problem.
"Like with all these significant injuries, we'll exhaust all our options, look at second opinions and do what's best for his knee and his career. We're in that space now where we're still evaluating what's going on, but our medical staff believes that he needs surgery."
Ware plans to seek a second opinion.
The 25-year-old Ware rushed for a team-high 921 yards last season.
"Things happen, he knows that, and whatever direction (Ware goes) -- whether he has to have surgery or they find another (option) -- he'll be back and going strong after he rehabs," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said.
Reid said that third-round pick Kareem Hunt will start the season opener against the New England Patriots on Sept. 7. Charcandrick West will be one of the backups. Veteran C.J. Spiller is also in the mix.
Hunt, who played collegiately at Toledo, has began to make strides as a pass protector.
"The last two weeks of camp, I really thought he picked it up," Reid said. "I thought he was really getting a pretty good grasp of it. And then he's had a couple pickups in these games, which has proved that."
