The Kansas CIty Chiefs have turned over the bottom of the depth chart at offensive tackle. While it's a good opportunity for the team's new addition, the truth is that any change at this point is simply about getting through the next several days and (likely) nothing more.
The Chiefs officially signed offensive tackle Kellen Diesch on Thursday. Diesch and another offensive tackle, John Campbell, both worked out for the Chiefs on Wednesday along with linebacker Cam Jones. The Chiefs reached an immediate agreement with Jones, but the news of any move at tackle took a bit longer.
The move to sign Diesch comes on the heels of the release of tackle Matt Waletzko, who has been dealing with a knee injury in training camp since the first preseason game. Waletzko was waived with an injury designation and it's very possible that he goes unclaimed and reverts to the Chiefs' injured reserve. From there, it's anyone's guess if he sticks or if he's released outright.
Kellen Diesch has a short window to make his presence felt with the Chiefs.
As for Diesch, he's a former undrafted free agent who first arrived in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins in 2022. Since then, he's earned looks from five other teams—the Bears, Steelers, Browns, Titans, and Patriots—without having ever played a single snap for any of them. The Chiefs aren't offering him anything that he hasn't seen before, just a temporary home to help a roster get through a rough season.
Right now, the Chiefs are looking at a back injury at left tackle and a hip injury at right guard. It makes sense for the Chiefs to hold Josh Simmons out of Saturday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The same can be said of Trey Smith. The configuration of the front line in training camp already pulled Jaylon Moore from right tackle to the left side in Simmons' absence, with Kahlil Benson slotting in at right tackle and either Hunter Nourzad or Mike Caliendo taking over at right guard.
Chu Godrick missed practice earlier this week, and Waletzko sat out multiple days at St. Joseph. The Chiefs play two games in six days to wrap the preseason, so they can't afford to keep injured players around who aren't in the team's long-term plans. After trading Wanya Morris earlier this summer, Kansas City needed at least someone healthy to slot in later in preseason games with Waletzko unable to go. That's where Diesch comes in.
All of this isn't to say that this isn't a nice shot for Diesch to impress some coaches. Stranger things have happened—see Benson's entire trajectory—even after five previous stops in the NFL (and another four in the UFL). But fans should see this transaction and realize that everyone involved, coming or going, was destined for the waiver wire in a couple of weeks anyway.
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