KC Chiefs have endured a crazy carousel at left guard
By Matt Conner
Parker Ehinger
By now, you’ll sense a theme here that the Chiefs didn’t exactly want the carousel at left guard. It’s just that the position has been so unlucky over the years.
In 2016, the trade-for-a-veteran move had flopped on Dorsey and company, and the Chiefs were back at the drawing board at left guard. They decided to take a chance on a promising young lineman in the draft’s fourth round by the name of Parker Ehinger out of Cincinnati. Ehinger was a three-year starter and captain at Cincy who’d started at both left and right tackle. However, his athletic limitations hurt him against great pass rushers outside, which means he was going to slide inside at the pro level. Fortunately he’d also played plenty of right guard in college as well.
Ehinger’s experience was a big help to the Chiefs because Andy Reid promoted him straight to the starting five in training camp and let him begin the year as the team’s new left guard. Once again it looked as if the team had the answer to their problems between Fisher and Morse but then Ehinger went down with a severe knee injury—a torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus.
From there, things would never be the same for Ehinger. He would return the following season but he played only a single game. While the Chiefs were likely holding on to see if he could eventually return to form, Brett Veach decided to stop hoping and traded his young lineman to the Dallas Cowboys who had a crowded situation in training camp at cornerback. The Chiefs landed Charvarius Ward in a rare player-for-player swap and the Chiefs have been laughing ever since.
As for Ehinger, he injured his knee again before the season even began in Dallas and he was waived the following spring. After short stints with Jacksonville and Arizona, he’s spent the last couple years bouncing between the practice squad and active roster of the Baltimore Ravens.