Tag: RG

Chiefs RG Kyle Long staying positive following injury at OTAs

Long sent out a tweet shortly after the news of his injury broke.

Kansas City Chiefs RG Kyle Long suffered a lower-leg injury during OTA practices this past week.

It’s being reported that Long is expected to miss the remainder of the offseason program, including training camp and the preseason. There is optimism that he’ll be ready to play at the start of the season. Long spent the past year in retirement and now he’ll be missing out on valuable practice time ahead of the season.

Shortly after the injury was reported, Long took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the situation. It’s clear that he’s remaining positive despite this new injury challenge that he’s set to face.

“I did everything I could to prepare to get back for football,” Long wrote. “Zero regrets. I’ve been getting better everyday and having so much fun with my new team. Focusing on controlling the things I can control. Yesterday was not one of those things! Thanks for the well wishes.”

Long is no stranger to injury-related adversity, having suffered a torn labrum, a triceps strain, an ankle injury, a hip injury and a groin tear with Chicago Bears. This new injury, while stopping Long’s momentum this offseason, is just a minor setback in his NFL comeback tour in 2021.

Thankfully, Long is in good hands with Rick Burkholder and the rest of the medical and training staff in Kansas City taking care of him. If he stays the course with his rehab plan, he could end up back in the starting lineup by Week 1, which will be all that matters in the long run.

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Report: Chiefs RG Andrew Wylie inactive with illness, being taken to hospital

The Chiefs will be without their starting right guard against the Ravens.

Kansas City Chiefs starting RG Andrew Wylie was a surprise inactive for “Monday Night Football” against the Baltimore Ravens.

According to a report from Kansas City Star reporter Herbie Teope, Wylie was made inactive after showing up to M&T Bank Stadium feeling sick. Among further examination from the Chiefs’ training staff, Wylie was taken to the hospital.

It’s not clear what type of symptoms or illness he’s dealing with, but obviously, it’s never a good sign when something like this forces a player out of a game and into the hospital. It’s certainly something that we’ll be monitoring throughout the evening.

Wylie practiced in full all week for Kansas City. Expect veteran swing offensive lineman Mike Remmers to fill in for Wylie at the right guard spot. His two spots with the most starts are right tackle and right guard, so he’ll feel right at home there.

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4 free-agent options for Chiefs following Laurent Duvernay-Tardif’s opt-out decision

Looking at four free-agent options who make sense for the Kansas City Chiefs after Laurent Duvernay-Tardif’s opt-out.

The most likely scenario for the Kansas City Chiefs is that they’ll go with in-house options to replace starting RG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who elected to opt-out of the 2020 NFL season. There still exists a slight possibility that the Chiefs could look outside the organization for help in terms of immediate impact or depth. There are a handful of interior offensive linemen available that make varying degrees of sense in Kansas City.

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Larry Warford

Warford is probably considered the cream of the crop of free-agent guards on the market right now. The 29-year-old veteran also might be the most expensive guard on the market because as of May he was looking for a contract worth up to $7 million per year in average salary. It’s not clear if he’d take a discount to join the defending Super Bowl champions, but that number would likely price out the Chiefs.

Warford is reliable, only missing two games in the last two seasons. He only allowed two sacks during the 2019 season and earned a 73.1 overall grade according to Pro Football Focus. His fit with the Chiefs is a debatable topic as he’s not the most mobile and athletic guard, but he’s physical and a tone-setter on the offensive line. There are few teams in the NFL that couldn’t use that type of player on their team.

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Chiefs RG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif opting out of 2020 NFL season

The doctor has decided to forego the 2020 NFL season.

Kansas City Chiefs RG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has announced his decision to opt-out of the 2020 NFL season. He’s among the first NFL players to opt-out of the upcoming season under the recently agreed to changes to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Duvernay-Tardif graduated from McGill University medical school in May 2018 with a doctorate of medicine and master of surgery. He spent the offseason in Canada working as an orderly at a long-term care facility.

Duvernay-Tardif took to Twitter to announce his decision. He’ll continue to work at the long-term care facility through the 2020 NFL season.

“Given the worldwide sanitary crisis we are currently experiencing, the NFL and the NFLPA agreed to significant health and safety protocols to protect the players. There is no doubt in my mind the Chiefs’ medical staff have put together a strong plan to minimize the health risks associated with COVID-19 but some risks will remain.

This is one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make in my life but I must follow my convictions and do what I believe is right for me personally. That is why I have decided to take the Opt Out Option negotiated by the League and the NFLPA and officially opt out of the 2020 NFL season.

Being at the frontline during this offseason has given me a different perspective on this pandemic and the stress it puts on individuals and our healthcare system. I cannot allow myself to potentially transmit the virus in our communities simply to play the sport that I love. If I am to take risks, I will do it caring for patients.

I want to thank everyone in the Kansas City Chiefs organization for their support and understanding.

Stay safe,

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif”

Opt-outs fall under two categories, high risk and voluntary. This would likely fall under a voluntary opt-out, which means that Duvernay-Tardif would receive a $150,000 advance on his salary with no credited season, but his contract will still toll. Given the current structure of Duvernay-Tardif’s contract, which was restructured this offseason, this could be the last we see of him in Kansas City.

Duvernay-Tardif was drafted by the Chiefs in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He’s been the starter at the right guard position since 2015 when he first started 13 games at the position. Kansas City will need to find a new starter at the position for the upcoming 2020 season.

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Chiefs RG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif will help decide how football returns amid COVID-19 pandemic

Chiefs RG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is on the front lines fighting the pandemic and serving as a member of the NFLPA’s coronavirus task force.

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Kansas City Chiefs right guard and doctor of medicine, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, is now on the front lines doing what he can to help fight the novel coronavirus near his hometown, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada. He’ll also play an integral role in determining when and how football will return for the 2020 NFL season, as part of the NFLPA’s coronavirus task force. Duvernay-Tardif recently shared his story, in his own words, with Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bishop for their Daily Cover.

Despite receiving his doctorate in May of 2018, the main focus has been football for Duvernay-Tardif, winning Super Bowl LIV with the Chiefs just months ago. It’s something that he’s often reminded of as he heads to the long-term care facility he’s currently working at.

“It’s wild to think that just 10 weeks earlier I played in the biggest game in sports. I was reminded of that even at the facility, when one of the people training me turned and said, ‘You’re the football player, right?’ When I answered yes, he said, ‘Bro, you just won the Super Bowl.’ Indeed, I told him, and now I just want to help.“

Duvernay-Tardif hasn’t yet finished his residency and he doesn’t have a specialization, but with the threat of COVID-19, he knew that he could be of assistance. When officials for the Canadian health ministry began recruiting medical professionals who might have the training to be able to help in some capacity, Duvernay-Tardif knew what he had to do.

He discussed the decision with his girlfriend, his family and the Kansas City Chiefs — he was going to join the fight against the coronavirus. The Chiefs, by the way, were more than supportive in his decision. That’s how he ended up at the long-term care facility, working as a nurse. So far they’ve only had one positive test for the coronavirus. He says that the measures they’ve put in place at the facility has assured the virus won’t spread to others.

This type of experience will come in handy down the line for Duvernay-Tardif, who has also been selected as a member of the NFLPA’s coronavirus task force. The task force is chaired by Thom Mayer, who serves as medical director for the NFLPA. It includes experts from across the country whose purpose will be determining how NFL players can return to play safely and without the threat of COVID-19.

“We will look at how teams will train, how they will travel and how the games will take place,” Duvernay-Tardif said. “And, since this is the NFL, a league with a lot of resources, it seems like every option is on the table. For now, we’re just getting started.”

While Duvernay-Tardif seems optimistic that football will eventually return, he also notes that it is far too soon to tell when that might be.

“What I can say is if we’re not playing in September, knowing all the implications of what sport means for a nation and the money behind this huge industry, there are going to be bigger issues than not playing football”

The experience that Duvernay-Tardif brings will be invaluable to the protection of players and the eventual reopening of the league — a decision that will be guided by science and safety.

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Chiefs OL Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to receive Quebec Medal of Honor

Duvernay-Tardif became the first Quebecer in history to win a Super Bowl.

Kansas City Chiefs right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is being honored in his home country of Quebec, Canada. He became both the first Doctor and Quebecer to win a Super Bowl with his victory in Super Bowl LIV. According to a recent press release, the president of Quebec’s National Assembly and his fellow parliamentarians will present the Medal of Honor to Duvernay-Tardif this afternoon.

“Remember that on February 2, 2020, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif of the Kansas City Chiefs participated in the National Football League’s final game, abbreviated by his acronym NFL, and won the 54 th (LIV) Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers by the mark of 31 to 20,” The press release read (as translated by Google). “He is the first Quebecer to win this great championship and to lift the Vince-Lombardi trophy.”

Duvernay-Tardif joined the Chiefs as a sixth-rounder out of McGill University in 2014. After a season of learning and development, he took over as the starting right guard for the team. He did so all while studying for his medical degree, which he completed in May of 2018.

In Week 5 of 2018, Duvernay-Tardif suffered a season-ending leg injury. He bounced back from his injury in 2019 and started in 14 regular-season games, two playoff games and Super Bowl 54.

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