Three players who can still help the Kansas City Chiefs this season
By Matt Conner
The Chiefs still have some help on the way this season from players on both sides of the ball.
The Kansas City Chiefs already have one of the NFL most loaded rosters—perhaps the single most talent-laden roster in the league. But with a few more key games down the stretch and the anticipation of a postseason run ahead of them, the Chiefs can also take heart knowing they have some more help on the way, players who can help bolster both sides of the ball before the regular season ends. Let’s take a look at three who could be key performers for the Chiefs before 2020 is said and done.
Mitchell Schwartz
The Chiefs offensive front deserves a lot of credit for the ability to move the chains at such an impressive rate despite the loss of the best lineman on the team for several weeks. However, no one is ready to say K.C. no longer needs Mitchell Schwartz—not at any rate.
After a career in which he was the ironman in the National Football League, Schwartz has missed his first time of any kind since Week 6 for the Chiefs after experiencing back pain so great that he was forced to leave the team’s win over the Buffalo Bills. Since then, Schwartz has not played a single snap, meaning he’s now missed more time than he’s played this season—an odd thing to even type for such a dependable player.
The Chiefs placed Schwartz on injured reserve on Nov. 21, meaning the team’s right tackle is technically able to be activated following Week 13. However, the Chiefs know what they are playing for at this point, given their Super Bowl experience, and Schwartz’s availability in January matters a lot more to this team than December. Unless Schwartz is absolutely ready to go, don’t expect the Chiefs to play with fire. That said, when every game is about extending the season further, it’d be a major upset if Schwartz wasn’t back in the lineup protecting Patrick Mahomes.