At this point, it was just an official exercise on the part of the Kansas City Chiefs, but Lucas Niang‘s season is now over after the team placed the rookie offensive tackle on injured reserve on Friday.
Niang suffered a couple of injuries during his rookie season that would affect his ability to be on the field for weeks at a time, and this latest move was serious enough to keep him off the field no matter how long the Chiefs might make it into the postseason schedule.
On Sunday, the Chiefs lost both starting tackles within minutes of each other when left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. left the field during warmups before playing the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17. He ended up with a mild calf strain and should be starting for the Chiefs in Week 18 against the Broncos, However, just six snaps into replacing him on the left side, Niang also went down and would need to be carted off the field.
Lucas Niang was officially placed on Chiefs IR.
Following the game, the Chiefs stated that Niang had a torn patellar tendon, which means he now faces significant rehabilitation in the coming offseason. It’s a frustrating end to a season in which Niang also missed significant time with a rib injury that kept him from out from Week 9 to Week 13.
With Niang out for the rest of the season, the Chiefs will likely lean on Andrew Wylie until there’s a point where they’re comfortable with what Kyle Long might offer in that role. There’s also the mystery of when Mike Remmers might make his way back from injured reserve as well.