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The Kansas City Chiefs have officially activated OL Kyle Long from the Reserve/PUP list according to the NFL’s personnel notice for Tuesday.
Long, 32, signed with the Chiefs out of retirement this past offseason on a one-year deal. The former Chicago Bears draft pick didn’t play in 2020 as he rehabbed from a series of injuries suffered in 2019. Just as he was hitting his stride and getting into the swing of things with Kansas City, Long suffered a knee injury during OTAs. That injury sidelined him throughout training camp and ultimately landed him on the Reserve/PUP list.
Today was the deadline for the Chiefs to activate Long after the team opened his practice window back on November 9th. He practiced for two weeks and then had the bye week off, but the training staff got a good look at him in that span. If the team hadn’t chosen to activate Long today, he’d be out for the remainder of the season without playing a snap for Kansas City.
So what’s next for Long and the Chiefs? At the time of his injury, Long was the starting right guard for the team. That position is currently locked down by rookie Trey Smith, so it’s unlikely that he resumes a starting role at that position. It’s possible that Kansas City gives Long a look at the right tackle spot, but with the bye week, Lucas Niang could be healthy enough to resume his role as a starter.
The most likely scenario is that the Chiefs keep Long on the bench for the time being. They’ll have him available as valuable depth for the stretch run in the final six games of the regular season and into the playoffs. You never know when injury can strike, so having the veteran available to fill in should be advantageous for Kansas City.
In order to make room for Long, the team placed both RB Jerick McKinnon and DT Khalen Saunders on injured reserve. McKinnon suffered a hamstring injury on the opening kickoff against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11. Saunders has been dealing with a knee issue since Week 7.
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