Organized team activities (OTAs) typically would be just around the corner for the Kansas City Chiefs and the rest of the NFL, but not this year. The COVID-19 pandemic still has players and coaches away from team facilities, so if OTAs happen, it’ll be at a later date.
OTAs mark the first point in the offseason where all of the Chiefs’ players, including rookies and veterans, would be on the field and working together. No live contact is permitted during OTAs, but the addition of 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills advances the offseason program significantly. We’d also be getting an early idea of how the depth chart would look like in Kansas City for the 2020 season.
The Chiefs, of course, have the luxury of returning 20-of-22 starters from their Super Bowl-winning squad. They’ll still need help from every player if they’re to run it back during the 2020 NFL season.
Obviously, there aren’t any OTAs happening this week, but if there were, these are the players that we’d be keeping an eye on.
OL Martinas Rankin
Acquired from the Houston Texans in a trade for RB Carlos Hyde ahead of the start of the 2019 season, Rankin is a player that should be squarely in the mix to start at the left guard position for Kansas City. He started five games for the Chiefs before suffering a knee injury that knocked him out for the remainder of the year. Depending on where Rankin is in his recovery, he’ll be someone to watch as a potential starter in 2020.
Rankin won’t be unchallenged, however. He’ll face fierce competition from former starting LG Andrew Wylie. Don’t count out rookie players like draft pick Lucas Niang and undrafted free agent Yasir Durant.