Tamba Hali looks to begin his 12th NFL season soon. The outside linebacker returned to Chiefs practice on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, and will be activated off the PUP list, according to Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
Hali has spent the first eight weeks of the season on the PUP list, being placed there because of injuries and partly in an effort to be conserved for the stretch run in what will be his age-34 season. The longtime Chiefs edge rusher missed all of training camp because of knee pain, however, and may be eased into action. But judging by this activation, his debut figures to come Sunday against the Cowboys.
The Chiefs also saw Dee Ford aggravate a back injury that sidelined him for multiple games earlier this season. Ford left midway through Monday night’s game and has missed two practices this week.
Under optimal conditions, Ford would be Justin Houston‘s complementary pass rusher with Hali rotating in off the bench. But if Ford misses time, Hali should be expected to see more action than anticipated.
Hali has started 157 games for the Chiefs but opened with the first unit in just two games last season despite Houston’s knee injury. He also played just seven snaps in Kansas City’s divisional-round loss and voiced his frustration about his usage over the summer.