Kyle Long among three biggest variables for KC Chiefs vs. Broncos
By Matt Conner
Will Kyle Long play?
Coming out of the bye week, Chiefs Kingdom was hoping for some signs of life at right tackle after consecutive starts by Andrew Wylie heading into the bye. That’s not a slight to Wylie so much as it is just a player playing out of position for a couple of weeks. Wylie, as we all know, is a very capable starter at either guard position, but he’s RT4 outside behind the likes of Lucas Niang, Mike Remmers, and Kyle Long.
Unfortunately for K.C., it’s been a while since any of those players have been available for the Chiefs. Remmers has been on injured reserve and cannot come off until Week 14 at the earliest. Long hasn’t played a single snap in 2021 after injuring his leg in the preseason and, if we’re counting, hasn’t played only four total games since 2019. Niang is the assumed starter there, but he’s missed several games due to a rib injury at present.
Niang did return to practice this week which showed some progress, but then he missed the next session on Thursday and was declared out by Friday. Remmers is still on IR, which leaves Long as the lone option to potentially upgrade from Wylie for another week.
Long rejoined the active roster this week and has been practicing with the Chiefs for a few weeks now, which means he could be ready to finally play in a game given further time with the bye and the need in front of the team. If so, it will be interesting to see how he looks in live competition, especially against a Broncos’ front that’s still surprisingly stout despite trading Von Miller weeks ago.
That spot is the weakest starting link for the Chiefs on either side of the ball until someone comes back. Long could be that answer in Week 13.