On Tuesday evening, word leaked that the Kansas City Chiefs had made the first of a few expected moves to turn over the depth charts at various positions before the start of a new season. Specifically, general manager Brett Veach traded a seventh-round pick in the 2028 NFL Draft to the New York Giants for offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu.
Ezeudu is a fifth-year veteran who was the Giants' third-round choice in the 2022 NFL Draft. They re-signed him on a one-year deal back in March, but an unexpected amount of depth along the offensive front gave them the luxury of trading him to K.C.
For the Chiefs, injuries to two starters before the season has even begun—Josh Simmons (back) and Trey Smith (hip)—brought up questions in training camp about the quality of depth, especially along the interior. Ezeudu has experience at both tackle and guard and elevates the Chiefs' options to deal with hurdles for a long season.
What does the trade mean for the rest of the offensive line? How will things all shake out? We've got a couple winners and losers to sort out after the dust settled on the news.
Loser: Fringe tackles
If either Ethan Driskell or Chu Godrick were hoping to find a way to hang onto an active roster spot as a fifth tackle—behind Josh Simmons, Jaylon Moore, Kahlil Benson, and Esa Pole—they're out of luck after the trade for Ezeudu. The import might be slated for interior help, but his inside/outside versatility is going to allow the Chiefs some roster flexibility that could (or should) keep guys like Driskell or Godrick on the practice squad instead.
Winner: Joshua Ezeudu
Maybe it's going to be hard, emotionally speaking, to switch from the league's biggest market to a Midwestern locale. After all, he has four seasons of experience with the Giants and re-signed in free agency when he might have had opportunities elsewhere. But protecting Patrick Mahomes, playing alongside Travis Kelce and Creed Humphrey, and playing for Andy Reid has to scratch a football-related itch that a long and likely losing season in New York would not.
Winner: Chiefs fans
One of the more disheartening moves of the Chiefs offseason was when K.C. decided to bring back Mike Caliendo for another year. Nothing personal against the interior lineman, since he was actually a great story as a former rookie free agent who grew to be a meaningful contributor on championship teams. But the ceiling there is low with Caliendo in the lineup and the idea that the Chiefs were game for another year with him as the sixth man, so to speak, felt like a tired notion. Ezeudu is at least a fresh body to throw at any problems up front—and hey, the Chiefs still have Caliendo around, too.
Loser: The 2024 draft class
If the 2023 Chiefs rookie class wasn't so miserable, there would likely be a bigger spotlight on just how middling the results have been from the '24 draft haul. But this isn't the time to analyze Xavier Worthy or Jared Wiley or Kamal Hadden. Instead, it's notable that the Chiefs spent two of four day three picks on interior offensive linemen: Penn State's Hunter Nourzad and Holy Cross's C.J. Hanson. After two full years with the team, neither player is earning his keep and now the Chiefs felt pressured to trade for interior help instead of leaning on the prospects they've been developing. At the very least, it feels like Hanson's run with the team is likely over.
Add us as a preferred source on Google