The Kansas City Chiefs acquired OT Diego Pounds from the Baltimore Ravens days after acquiring OL Josh Ezeudu from the New York Giants .
The Chiefs are looking to reinforce their O-Line after watching their roster on the field over training camp and through preseason.
After acquiring Ezeudu from the Giants , the franchise has now traded a conditional sixth-round pick for an undrafted OT in Pounds , but this might be reflective of an internal problem.
Andy Reid told the media that 2025 first-round pick Josh Simmons, their presumed starting tackle, is still dealing with pain issues that might cloud his playing status.
"It's going to take a little bit of time here. He's a hard worker when it comes to these types of things. It's just a matter of eliminating some of the pain that he has — and strength, making sure he has enough strength there."
Pounds is a direct depth addition behind Simmons, as the Chiefs will hope to rely on either Simmons or Pounds to be an impactful presence on the O-Line to protect Patrick Mahomes as he returns from a torn ACL.
Ezeudu isn't a like-for-like backup like Pounds for Simmons, but he can play across multiple positions on the O-Line and is another much-needed depth piece for the Chiefs' weak O-Line.
Both Pounds and Ezeudu reflect low-cost pickups with high upside.
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images
Pounds especially might have a much higher ceiling than anticipated, as the undrafted rookie has already progressed to being traded for a sixth-round pick based on how strong he has looked through preseason.
Last year, the Chiefs looked like a shell of the championship dynasty fans have seen every season of the 2020s. Despite Mahomes suffering a torn ACL, the franchise's playoff hopes were all but dead before that injury truly ended their postseason hopes.
KC is not listed among the top contenders for the Super Bowl this season despite Mahomes' return and additions like Kenneth Walker III , primarily because the team has more questions than answers right now.
Their weak O-Line is among the major questions they have to reckon with. But if their moves work out and Mahomes can return as the star QB we know him to be, the Chiefs will be terrifying.
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