Bryan Cook explains last year's ankle injury

The second year defender spoke to reporters after practice on Thursday.

Late summer days in Kansas City can be brutal. According to local weather data, temperatures reached upwards of 90 degrees on Thursday in St. Joeseph, Missouri, with 57% humidity, causing the heat index to feel closer to 100 degrees outside.


But working and pushing through this grueling heat is all part of the secret sauce that makes Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid’s training camps such a masterpiece. It’s hitting that wall and pushing through that makes you stronger.


That doesn’t mean it’s fun, though.


“It’s a love-hate relationship,” said Chiefs safety Bryan Cook. “If I’m being honest with you, I get a chance to work on my things. But at the same time, the sun, and the heat, and the pads, all that stuff puts a tax on your body... but I mean, I’m definitely excited for the challenge.”


For Cook, however, an additional variable is thrown into the mix. He is returning from a serious ankle injury that he suffered in Kansas City’s week 13 loss to the Green Bay Packers. It was the same ankle he broke in 2019 while he was in college.


Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images



“I think my tibia bone. This is the outside part of your ankle in college,” he explained. “So I had to repair that in college. And then last year, in week 13 against the Packers, I kind of re-injured it... I kind of just basically ruptured the tightrope that was already in there and kind of like tore my ligament as well.”


A tightrope surgery is a surgical procedure where a braided polyethylene cord stabilizes and reinforces the tibia and fibula after an ankle injury. To achieve this, two fixation plates are screwed into the bone, and a guidewire is used to thread the cord around the bones.


When Cook broke his tightrope, he compromised the support that helped hold his bones in place. To fix this, his doctor “repaired the tightrope, added another tightrope in there, and added an anchor, so I got a little metal on my ankle... but it’s all good, though.”




Saw #Chiefs Bryan Cook leaving Lambeau Sunday night on crutches—but no boot on injured left ankle. Had both timbs on— Aaron Ladd (@aaronladdtv) December 4, 2023






Despite snapping his previous tightrope, which was placed around his ankle, Cook said that its presence prevented his injury from being more catastrophic.


“The fact that I had the hardware in there prior kind of saved me from basically destructing the whole ankle as a whole... having that hardware in there before kind of protected it from getting worse or being a worse recovery for me.”


Still, it’s a long road back to being 100%, but Cook said he’s getting a little bit closer to being fully back each day.


“It’s every day just kind of pushing the throttle a little more and a little more to see what I can do and what I can’t do,” said Cook, “but that’s that’s what camp is for.”


Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images



It’s honestly a pretty good metaphor for the Chiefs secondary on the whole as they try to figure out how all of the pieces will fit now that L’Jarius Sneed has left in free agency— but Cook said the defensive backs are making progress, “It’s coming along pretty well. I mean, you know, everything takes time. You want to be polished in a way that we can be able to compete at our highest level coming into the season... But now we have an opportunity to come together as a team with new faces and new guys... So it’s a challenge, but we’re looking pretty good so far.”


Cook thinks the key to the defense's success will be stacking good days one on top of each other and getting better little by little. But with the Chief's improved passing attack on the other side of the line in practice, it can be a little challenging, especially with the speed they now boast at the wide receiver position.


“They (the receivers) have 4.3, 4.2, 4.3, 4.2 (40-yard dash times), you know. So that’s a lot of work on our back end,” admitted Cook.


“But every day we keep grinding — we get a chance to compete with them on the highest level. So it’s just every day is a competition... We look forward to it.”


While the defense might still be trying to figure out what its trademark will be in 2024, Cook said one thing is for sure: “There’s definitely going to be some effort, and there’s going to be some tenacity and attitude.”


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