Chiefs sign one offensive lineman, place another on injured reserve
An offensive line accustomed to adaptation encountered yet another one Monday. Much like its predecessors, this one is prompted by injury.
The Chiefs signed tackle Jackson Barton from the Indianapolis practice squad and placed guard Martinas Rankin on injured reserve.
Rankin injured his knee during Sunday’s loss in Tennessee, needing a cart to depart the field. He was on crutches in the postgame locker room.
The Colts selected Barton in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Utah and stashed him on their practice squad. He is listed at 6-foot-7, 302 pounds and played both outside spots in college.
The Chiefs’ offensive line has been ravaged by injury this season. Eric Fisher (sports hernia) and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (ankle) sat out Sunday’s game. Mitchell Schwartz left in the second quarter — the first time in his career missing an NFL snap — before returning in the second half.
At one point late in the first half Sunday, the Chiefs had no healthy offensive lineman remaining on the bench. Coach Andy Reid said Monday a tight end would have been used on the line in the case of an emergency, which represented just one more injury.
Reid said Monday that “there’s a chance” Fisher and Duvernay-Tardif could return to action for the Chiefs’ next game, Monday night against the Los Angeles Chargers in Mexico City.