Martinas Rankin’s return bolsters Chiefs patchwork offensive line

The Kansas City Chiefs have added Martinas Rankin to the active roster.

Among a series of roster moves made official on Tuesday, the Kansas City Chiefs have activated offensive lineman Martinas Rankin from the Physically Unable to Perform list. It’s a move three weeks in the making, one that adds significant help to a patchwork offensive line.

Rankin has yet to play in a single game in 2020 after starting the year on the PUP list, a move that kept him out officially for at least the first six weeks of the season. From there, the Chiefs were given a three-week window within which to evaluate Rankin’s ability to return from a serious patella injury that ended his first season last November. Rankin has practiced with the team in that span and now the Chiefs were forced to make a decision whether to place him on injured reserve or the active roster.

In corresponding moves, the team made room for Rankin by waiving defensive end Demone Harris. The team will likely hope he slips through waivers in order to keep Harris on the practice squad. The team also shifted Braxton Hoyett from the P.S. to the reserve/COVID-19 list on Tuesday.

Back to Rankin, the Chiefs first traded for him in a player-for-player swap in the 2019 preseason for running back Carlos Hyde. The Houston Texans sent back Rankin, a former third-round pick as recently as 2018, and the Chiefs were glad to gain a versatile o-line prospect with unreached potential. However, shortly after taking over a starting guard role for the Chiefs, he was lost to injury.

It will likely take some time before Rankin is game-ready, even after rehabbing and practicing with the team for the last few weeks. He’s not played a single meaningful snap since nearly a full year ago at this time, which means the Chiefs might need to ease him in despite needs that could be considered immediate.

While waiting for Rankin to heal, the Chiefs have lost right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who opted out for the year, and their starting left guard Kelechi Osemele, who tore tendons in both knees after four weeks. Mitchell Schwartz, the team’s right tackle and best overall lineman, is also on the mend with a back injury, and the team has swapped out starting centers in recent weeks between Austin Reiter and Daniel Kilgore.

Will Rankin claim a starting guard spot above Nick Allegretti or Andrew Wylie? It remains to be seen, but the ceiling was definitely there before the injury. Only time will tell how ready he is for a wide-open opportunity for a Super Bowl favorite.