The Kansas City Chiefs traded for yet another offensive tackle today, as they’ve made a deal with the Baltimore Ravens to acquire offensive tackle Diego Pounds, with no word yet on the compensation going back to the Ravens, according to a report from Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk that referenced material from NFL Media.
Pounds signed with the Ravens after going undrafted out of Ole Miss this year, per Alper. He started 24 games at left tackle for the Rebels over the last two seaasons, and he also saw time at the position during three years at North Carolina.
The Chiefs seemed to be set at tackle, with Josh Simmons having muscled up after returning from an injury-marred rookie season in which he started only eight games, and undrafted free agent Kahlil Benson was giving right tackle Jaylon Moore a stiff challenge in camp.
But that situation seems to have changed dramatically in the last week or so, as Benson had a rough outing in the Chiefs 16-15 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their second preseason game. Simmons has been out for over a week with back problems, and Benson was relegated to working with the backups for some of the time last week in camp.
This is also the second trade for a tackle that the Chiefs have made in the last week, as they made a deal with the New York Giants to acquire tackle Joshua Ezeudu, and no one knows quite how the parts and pieces will get sorted out, although Alper noted that Simmons and Moore are listed as the starters with Esa Pole and Benson listed as the second stringers right now.
That will fulfill Andy Reid’s ongoing need for secrecy surrounding many of his coaching moves, but it won’t give Chiefs fans a sense of security as quarterback Patrick Mahomes returns to the lineup after offseason surgery.
Mahomes has been playing well and looking mobile in training camp, but that’s a long way from regular season game speed, and the quarterback hasn’t played at all in the preseason. That’s prudent given his situation, but the Chiefs will be taking the field against the Denver Broncos with an offense that literally has no experience under game conditions.
That means it could be a rough go early, and it will be interesting to see who gets cut and what the line looks like after roster cuts are announced officially tomorrow.
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