Laurent Duvernay-Tardif returns to practice for the Kansas City Chiefs
By Jalon Dodson
Kansas City Chiefs starting right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif returned to practice for the team on Wednesday.
Starting right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who suffered a leg injury in Week 5 of the 2018 NFL season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, returned to practice for the team during Wednesday’s practice ahead of its Week 17 matchup vs. the Oakland Raiders. A broken fibula and torn ligaments complicated things for the team’s right guard, who was placed on injured reserve following the game.
After several weeks, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid provided an update on Duvernay-Tardif, confirming his return. Duvernay-Tardif begins his 21-day practice window, which means he has 21 days to practice for the team coming off injured reserve without being a member yet of the active roster, which gives K.C. some flexibility.
As the offensive line for the Chiefs has struggled to hold up in recent weeks with injuries all throughout the interior line, getting the starting right guard back in Duvernay-Tardif could help protect Mahomes and solidify the run game exponentially. The team has already welcomed back Mitch Morse from injury and now they’re hoping Cam Erving can work his way back into the starting spot at left guard as he recovers from an injury as well.
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As the Chiefs had already activated safety Daniel Sorensen off of injured reserve earlier in the season, Duvernay-Tardif will be the second and final player who is able to come off of IR. It was speculated that it was between rookie safety Armani Watts and Duvernay-Tardif, but the latter appears to be a more pressing and available need.