Former Chiefs lineman Bryan Witzmann signs with Minnesota Vikings

Former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Bryan Witzmann has found a home in the NFC with the Minnesota Vikings.

Before the start of the regular season began for the Kansas City Chiefs, the team surprised a couple of veteran offensive linemen by moving them after initial roster cuts in one way or another. Bryan Witzmann was among those who were jettisoned from the Chiefs in roster moves intended to bring in fresh blood for one reason or another.

Fortunately for Witzmann, he was able to find a new home for the season, at least in the interim, on Monday with the Minnesota Vikings.

The Vikings lost Aviante Collins during the team’s first game of the season, a second-year backup that can provide reps at both guard and tackle, due to an elbow injury. The loss of Collins opened the door for a player of the same type, and the Chiefs had certainly worked Witzmann at multiple spots over the years, giving him nice positional versatility for just this very role.

Witzmann was cut loose by the Chiefs last week in a series of moves that switched out parts along the offensive front. The Chiefs claimed Austin Reiter, a center cut by the Cleveland Browns, and released Witzmann to make room for him. The move was a bit of a shock given that Witzmann was good enough to start 13 games at left guard just last season for a playoff team.

Witzmann entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Houston Texans in 2014 and teams were intrigued enough by his stature at 6’7, 320 lbs. to give him multiple tryouts, which is how he was able to stay afloat until he found his fit.

Further stints with the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys gave way to the Chiefs, who molded him into a more versatile player than the bookend swing tackle he came in as. Witzmann even ascended the depth chart to become the team’s primary option at left guard in 2017.