20 Steven Nelson CB

Nelson (undisclosed) returned to Sunday's contest, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

Nelson had reportedly been nursing an apparent lower body injury but it seems as though he's good enough to trot back out there. The four-year veteran will slide back into his role at starting cornerback.

Nelson, who left Friday's preseason game against the Falcons prematurely, has been diagnosed with a concussion, BJ Kissel of Chiefs.com reports.

Nelson must clear the league's concussion protocol before returning to practice, so David Amerson and Tremon Smith could see additional reps with the first-team defense alongside fellow cornerback Kendall Fuller in the meantime.

Nelson racked up nine tackles (seven solo) -- including one for a loss -- during Sunday's game against the Jets.

Two players from the secondary -- Nelson and Daniel Sorensen -- led the team in tackles during Sunday's tilt, which is generally not a good sign. After missing the early portions of 2017 due to core-muscle surgery, he's returned to the tune of 28 tackles through five games. He should continue to start opposite Marcus Peters and will face a tough matchup against the combo of Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree in Week 14.

The Chiefs activated Nelson (abdomen) from their Reserve/Injured-Designated for Return list ahead of Monday's game against the Broncos.

Nelson, who has yet to make his season debut while recovering from core-muscle surgery, is one of two players the Chiefs will be able to activate from IR. The 24-year-old appeared in 15 games last season for the Chiefs, starting all of them and logging 65 total tackles while breaking up 16 passes. It's not immediately clear if he'll unseat Terrance Mitchell for a starting role opposite Marcus Peters, but Nelson should at least see some snaps in sub packages during the Week 8 matchup.

The Chiefs designated Nelson (abdomen) as one of their two players eligible to return from injured reserve, Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star reports.

The designation allows Nelson to resume practicing with the Chiefs, giving the team a three-week window to activate him. Nelson, who could be cleared to play as soon as the Week 9 matchup with the Cowboys, would provide an upgrade to a Chiefs secondary that's sorely missed his absence this season. Over 15 games in 2016, Nelson failed to notch an interception, but broke up 16 passes and logged 65 tackles.