LAWRENCE — Kansas football went into its open week with the aim of getting healthier, but according to head coach Lance Leipold there hasn’t been as much progress there as they’d hoped.

Leipold noted there are still a lot of players who are questionable, and working through things. The Jayhawks (1-5, 0-3 in Big 12 Conference) will have to see where the week takes them. He was hoping he’d be able to share better news Monday on this topic.

But while that’s the news he was able to share, there was at least a bit more clarity on the status of a pair of starters on the defensive side of the ball. One, is a redshirt senior linebacker in Cornell Wheeler who suffered an injury late against West Virginia and has missed the past two games. Another, is a senior cornerback in Cobee Bryant who suffered an injury late against Arizona State.

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“(Wheeler)’s probably one of the doubtful,” Leipold said.

Leipold later added: “(Bryant)’s probably highly questionable at this time. He’s doing a little bit, but has not taken any team reps in over a week.”

Each injury puts more pressure on the depth Kansas has at those positions, ahead of a game Saturday at home against Houston (2-4, 1-2 in Big 12). Wheeler had been operating as the team’s MIKE linebacker prior to his injury. Bryant served as one of the team’s top two cornerbacks, alongside senior cornerback Mello Dotson.

This week, on the depth chart, Bryant was listed as an “OR” with freshman cornerback Jalen Todd at one of the cornerback starting spots. Both have played in all six games, with Bryant starting every one. Bryant has 20 tackles, one tackle for loss, 0.5 sacks, an interception, four pass breakups and a forced fumble, while Todd has three tackles.

Wheeler isn’t on the depth chart at all, and his spot has been being filled by senior linebacker Taiwan Berryhill Jr. Behind Berryhill at the position is redshirt senior linebacker Dylan Downing. Time will tell how much the open week has helped Berryhill acclimate to being a part of the starting lineup.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas football: Will Cornell Wheeler, Cobee Bryant play vs Houston?