KC Chiefs have endured a crazy carousel at left guard
By Matt Conner
Kelechi Osemele
When the Chiefs first signed Osemele, it was likely with the vision that John Dorsey wanted Grubbs to be a few years back—the dependable veteran with enough in the tank for another run after a very respected career in the league. Osemele was a two-time Pro Bowler—as recently as 2017—who had been set back by injuries over the previous two years. However, he basically tanked his 2019 season with the New York Jets in order to have the surgery he required, even as the team fought him on having it.
Osemele looked the part early on for the Chiefs as the sort of mauler they hadn’t had at the position in a very, very long time. Osemele and Eric Fisher formed an excellent left side of the line, but after the first month of the season, Osemele would be lost from Week 5 on after tearing tendons in both knees in a freak non-contact play. Osemele would end the year on injured reserve and is now set for free agency once again as a 32-year-old lineman coming off of knee injuries.
There’s a good amount of Chiefs fans ready to climb back on board the Osemele train again based on what they saw in four-plus games in K.C. (and the larger body of work exhibited elsewhere), but age is already an issue at other positions and re-signing someone coming off of an injury only exacerbates the health concerns present at other places along the line. Basically, the Chiefs need to get younger and more reliable across the board.