On Oct. 12, 2013, the Kansas City Chiefs placed rookie tight end Travis Kelce on injured reserve, ending his season. The 63rd selection in that year’s draft underwent surgery for a bone bruise to his knee suffered in the preseason. After collecting a single special teams snap in only one game played, the promising talent from the University of Cincinnati appeared headed for draft-bust status.
A decade later, Kelce’s 11th October in the NFL could not have gone more differently. He missed the Chiefs’ Week 1 game, coincidentally due to a bone bruise to his knee suffered in practice.