Martinas Rankin is likely out for season with patella injury

The Kansas City Chiefs are likely going to be without offensive lineman Martinas Rankin for the rest of the season after he suffered a patella injury.

The offensive line woes continue for the Kansas City Chiefs, and the latest represents another major loss up front with the news that Martinas Rankin is likely out for the rest of the year, per NFL reporter Ian Rapoport.

On Sunday, Rankin suffered a patella injury that took him out of the game on a medical cart and it didn’t take long for the Chiefs to declare him out for the rest of the game against the Tennessee Titans. Rankin had entered the game at right tackle to replace Mitchell Schwartz, who had just exited the play before due to a knee injury of his own. One play later, Rankin also went down.

Rankin had been playing very well for the Chiefs in relief work of other injured players up front, most notably Andrew Wylie while he was out at left guard and then again as a guard option while Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was also sidelined.

The Chiefs added Rankin in a preseason deal with the Houston Texans for running back Carlos Hyde. Rankin gives the Chiefs another cost-controlled young lineman to mold as they move forward with questions along the line. The presence of a player like Rankin means the Chiefs have some flexibility for the present as well as the future as they make decisions on escalating contracts for veterans.

Rankin has already started five games this season for the Chiefs and recently just turned 25-years-old.