Chiefs lose another offensive lineman; Duvernay-Tardif out with knee injury

The Chiefs got a piece of good news before Monday’s game against Washington. Offensive tackle Eric Fisher, who had missed practice time last week because of a back injury, would play.

The offensive line, already down center Mitch Morse for the second full game, needed all the manpower it could get.

But fortune was reversed on the Chiefs’ first series. Guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif went down with a left knee injury and did not return.

Duvernay-Tardif will have an MRI on Tuesday morning. If the damage is to the medial collateral ligament, the time missed could be minimal. A torn anterior cruciate ligament would likely cost him the season.

The Chiefs played through the injury and defeated Washington 29-20. But they played all but a few snaps down two opening day starters. After Morse left the Chiefs’ second game against the Eagles in the fourth quarter, Zach Fulton took over the snapping duties.

On Monday, Jordan Devey, who logged five special-teams snaps last week against the Chargers in his only action of the season, took over at right guard.

“It’s always tough when a guy goes down,” Fulton said. “But we’re all pretty interchangeable, so next man up for us. We feel like everybody could play all five positions, and that goes a long way in this league.”

The extent of Duvernay-Tardif’s injury wasn’t known during the game, but the Chiefs announced no more than five minutes after he left the field that the fourth-year pro from Canada wouldn’t return.

It was a big blow to the Chiefs, who have had their share of injuries this season. They’ve lost one starter each game, starting with safety Eric Berry, continuing with Morse and then kicker Cairo Santos last week.

The Chiefs also are without second-year guard Parker Ehinger, who suffered a torn ACL last season but has been upgraded on the injury report over the last few weeks. Ehringer was inactive for Monday’s game.

The Chiefs played the remainder of the game with one offensive-line substitute, Cameron Erving, who was acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Browns before the season. The Chiefs envision Erving as a tackle.

Erving entered the game in the third quarter as an eligible tackle on a goal-line snap, but a Washington penalty nullified the play.

Duvernay-Tardif was off to his best start as a pro. According to Pro Football Focus, he was one of six guards in the NFL to not allow a pressure this season.

In February, Duvernay-Tardif, who attends medical school and plans to become a doctor, signed a contract extension worth $41.25 million, with $20 million guaranteed.

Duvernay-Tardif, a sixth-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, has started 31 of a 36 possible regular-season games. He was set to become a free agent in 2018, but the extension will keep him in Kansas City well into his prime.

Under his old contract, Duvernay-Tardif’s salary cap number was slated to be around $1.8 million in 2017.

This story was originally published October 2, 2017 at 9:52 PM with the headline "Chiefs lose another offensive lineman; Duvernay-Tardif out with knee injury."