Report: Mitchell Schwartz isn’t expected to play in Chiefs postseason
By Matt Conner
Sam Mellinger reports that the Chiefs aren’t counting on Mitchell Schwartz again in 2020.
According to Sam Mellinger of the K.C. Star, the Kansas City Chiefs have closed the book on their expectations for starting right tackle and offensive cornerstone Mitchell Schwartz for the 2020 season.
On Monday, Mellinger posted the following report on Twitter:
Nothing official, three weeks to go, etc ... but the Chiefs are not counting on Mitchell Schwartz to be back for the playoffs.
— Sam Mellinger (@mellinger) December 28, 2020
There’s obvious room there for some interpretation or possibility that Schwartz could return as some bonus addition down the road. The Super Bowl is still several weeks out, so maybe something changes between now and then. However it’s clear that Schwartz’s back injury is a serious one, enough to have kept him out of every game since he departed during the team’s win over the Buffalo Bills way back in Week 6.
The reality at this point is that Schwartz has sat out more games than he’s played this season and he’s also on the wrong side of 30. It makes sense that a back injury that has kept him for two thirds of the regular season is going to also sideline him the rest of the way. The questions will be asked after the season, but for now, the primary concern is that Mike Remmers is no longer a backup right tackle filling in. He’s the anchor on the right side.
As for the Chiefs moving forward, the hope provided by a potential Schwartz return is now snuffed out, but at least the team can move forward with realistic expectations and know what’s ahead. Remmers is the man outside with Andrew Wylie also showing himself capable of kicking out. Yasir Durant remains on the roster and available to fill in, and Martinas Rankin has lingered as a healthy scratch as well.
As for the Chiefs, if they are able to fulfill their goals and run it back, which they should fully expect to after winning 14 of 15 regular season games, the story will be told of a makeshift offensive line that somehow powered through and helped put the Chiefs over the top. It’s a heckuva job of young players stepping up, veterans filling in, and a coaching staff keeping guys ready for anything and everything in the face of multiple personnel losses.