The latest on Kyle Long’s injury and what it means for the Kansas City Chiefs’ O-line
After their Super Bowl game plan was decimated by a makeshift offensive line, the Chiefs rebuilt their protection for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
But even if training camp has not yet arrived, the injuries already have.
Kyle Long, brought out of a retirement for a one-year deal this offseason, suffered a knee injury during Wednesday’s voluntary practice, coach Andy Reid confirmed Thursday.
For the moment, Long appears to have escaped the worst-case scenario — Reid said it “doesn’t look like it’s ligaments” — but the full extent of the injury will not be known until he undergoes further testing. Surgery remains an option.
It’s possible the injury will prevent Long from participating in training camp later this summer, a source told The Star, putting his Week 1 status in doubt.
And thus, still five days before mandatory minicamp, a rebuilt offensive line is already being, well, rebuilt.
In the Super Bowl, the Chiefs started just one player in the same position in which he opened the season as the starter. In 2021, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach sought to improve that group from left to right, adding as many as four new starters to a five-man unit. Beyond the top of the depth chart, he augmented the depth behind them.
They’ll be tapping into that depth already. Long has played guard and tackle during this career, but he fit most naturally at right guard with the Chiefs, projected at least in the conversation to start there. In the Super Bowl, the Chiefs gave Stefen Wisniewski the start at right guard after he’d spent a portion of the season out of a job.
This time, the Chiefs have additional options, with Laurent Duvernay-Tardif being the most obvious. Although he’s missed the voluntary workouts after skipping the 2020 season to serve on the healthcare front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic, Duvernay-Tardif will be in attendance for mandatory minicamp next week. Andrew Wylie, the incumbent starter for two seasons, remains in the mix. Trey Smith, a sixth-round draft choice last month, is another option, as is Nick Allegretti, who made nine starts at left guard last season.
“We’re lucky that we have some good players in there,” Reid said. “Trey Smith can get some work, too, and then Larry’s coming back. You add all of that in there, and Wylie has had a couple years starting under his belt, so we’re OK there. Allegretti, likewise.”
Long, 32, returned to football this year after he retired — temporarily, as it turns out — at least in part due to injuries. He played just four games in 2019, his last season in Chicago, and hasn’t appeared in more than 10 games since 2015, his third Pro Bowl season.
But he remains a veteran presence, and his absence could prompt an about-face in terms of experience. The Chiefs are high on Smith’s future, even if they didn’t expect it to arrive this year. Add to that, second-round pick Creed Humphrey is in the mix to start at center.
An offensive line makeover is turning into a movement to get younger.
“They’re two good young football players,” Reid said. “They’re smart kids, and they’re learning on top of that. They’ve got some good veteran players around them. They’re doing well.”
This story was originally published June 10, 2021 at 3:01 PM.