The Kansas City Chiefs have been without starting RT Mitchell Schwartz for nearly half of the 2020 NFL season.
Schwartz first began missing time in Week 7 with a back injury after playing just eight snaps against the Buffalo Bills the week prior. He has been on injured reserve with that same back injury since Week 11. With another back injury popping up, this time for replacement RT Mike Remmers in Week 14, everyone wants to know if Schwartz is ready and able to return.
Schwartz has spent over three weeks on the injured reserve list, so he is officially eligible to return. Is he ready to return, though? Chiefs HC Andy Reid emphasized that the team wouldn’t be rushing him back at the beginning of December:
“Yeah, we’ll just see. Listen, he’s a smart kid and so he’s been around a long time and he knows how he’s feeling. And he’s a good communicator, so he keeps that open with the trainers and doctors, so I think that’s the most important thing right now. Then, when he’s right, then we’ll get him back out there. But until then—we do that with every player—we’re not going to rush him back if he can’t go, and that’s why we expect the next guy to step in and play, and (Mike) Remmers is doing a nice job for us. He’s really stepped up and played well. But that’s kind of how we go. We have a lot of trust in Mitch and we know he’s a tough guy, and he’s a good communicator on top of that.”
Schwartz has been extraordinarily consistent up to this point in his career, starting 134 consecutive games dating back to 2012. We should trust that as soon as he’s ready to get back out there, he will. If he’s close we could even see the Chiefs designate him to return from injured reserve, but that wouldn’t necessarily mean he’d be activated this week. It would just open up his three-week practice window, allowing the team to see him in practice before making a decision on his return. Rest assured, this will be an easing back process because the team knows just how valuable Schwartz is when he’s at his best.
In the meantime, the Chiefs still need to see what the prognosis is with Remmers for Week 15’s game against the New Orleans Saints. He’s been solid in relief and should play if his injury permits. If Remmers is unable to practice and play, Kansas City will turn to undrafted rookie Yasir Durant, who played 24 snaps in place of Remmers in Week 14.
Coach Reid gave a vote of confidence in Durant during his Monday press conference. Things would be dire if Durant had to start and not because he’s an inexperienced player. If he were to play, it would leave virtually no options to come off the bench and play the tackle position. The team would likely need to move Andrew Wylie to tackle in the event of an injury, shaking up the entire composition of the offensive line.
We’ll know soon enough what the Chiefs’ plans at the tackle position are for the upcoming week. Look for an update on Wednesday, when the team returns to practice ahead of their showdown with the Saints.
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