53 Anthony Hitchens LB

Hitchens (hamstring) rejoined the Chiefs for practice Monday, BJ Kissel of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Hitchens returned to practice quickly after injuring his hamstring Saturday, indicating that the issue was likely minor. However, the recurring nature of soft-tissue injuries means that the Chiefs could take a cautious approach to reintegrating their newly acquired inside linebacker into training camp.

Hitchens was sidelined during Saturday's practice due to a hamstring injury, Nate Taylor of The Athletic Kansas City reports.

It's unclear when Hitchens sustained the injury, but it most likely occurred at Friday's practice. The severity of hamstring injuries can be tricky to gauge, so expect the Chiefs to err on the side of caution with their newly acquired inside linebacker in order to ensure his health entering the regular season. Both Terrance Smith and Dorian O'Daniel figure to be in line for increased reps at practice while he is sidelined.

Hitchens plans to sign with the Chiefs for five years and approximately $45 million, Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star reports.

A 2014 fourth-round pick, Hitchens had at least 67 tackles each of his four seasons in Dallas, including a career-best 84 in only 12 games last year. The size of the contract suggests he's ticketed for a three-down role, which typically wasn't the case during his time with the Cowboys. The 25-year-old will replace Derrick Johnson in the middle of the Kansas City defense.

Hitchens finished the regular season with a career-high 84 tackles (55 solo), two passes defended and a forced fumble in 12 games.

Despite missing the first four games of the season with a knee injury, Hitchens still put together a strong campaign as the Cowboys' middle linebacker. He'll be a free agent in the offseason and it's unclear at this point how much effort the team will put into trying to bring him back, as players like DeMarcus Lawrence will be bigger priorities to re-sign and Jaylon Smith could be ready to step into a starting role in 2018, but wherever Hitchens lands he should be a tackling machine, although his minimal contributions in other categories put him on the fringe of IDP utility.

Hitchens (knee) won't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Seahawks, Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Hitchens sustained the injury in Sunday's win over the Raiders but was able to finish the week with a full practice Friday to avoid the questionable tag. The Cowboys' middle linebacker should see his usual workload with the team's playoff hopes on the line Week 16.