KC Chiefs lose security along offensive line with Mike Remmers on IR

The K.C. Chiefs lost their security blanket along the offensive line with the news that tackle Mike Remmers had been placed on injured reserve on Saturday.

The shift to place Remmers on IR is an admission that he won’t be ready to return nearly as soon as the Chiefs initially believed, given that he’s already missed every game since Week 7. Being on injured reserve means sitting three-plus games, but the upcoming game against the Raiders will be game three for Remmers with this current knee injury.

Without Remmers, the Chiefs should be okay at right tackle, which is where he’s played so far in 2021, with rookie Lucas Niang capable of serving as a reliable starter so early in his career. Unfortunately, Niang left last week with a rib injury and missed practice all this week. He’s already been declared out for Week 10.

The hard part about losing Remmers is that he’s not only plugged in at right tackle effectively when needed, but he’s also a key role player who can give it a go at guard on the left or right side and he’s even been an option at left tackle. He’s the versatile super sub that most teams lack along the offensive front.

Without Niang and Remmers, Andrew Wylie stepped in at right tackle for the Chiefs on Sunday to mixed results in the team’s win against the Green Bay Packers. The one notion working in Wylie’s favor is that he’s approached practice each week knowing he could be starting on the edge, which certainly helps any player mentally and physically to handle the load with a full week of preparation.

That said, if the Chiefs find themselves dissatisfied with Wylie to start the game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday Night Football, they could shift to Prince Tega Wanogho, who is likely to be active for the first time this season after sitting with inactives all season long. However, the Chiefs have him on the active roster during the week instead of the practice squad which speaks to how close he is to earning playing time (and how much the team likes his potential for making an impact instead of leaving him to be poached by another team).

The Chiefs and Raiders kick things off in Week 10 at 7:20 C.T. p.m.