The Chiefs are the latest team to suffer a significant injury in training camp. Guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif broke a bone in his hand during practice and is out 4-6 weeks, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The good news, as Rapsheet notes, is that the injury won’t require surgery, “which means the opener is a very real possibility.” This injury also might’ve been a bigger deal had Kansas City not dramatically upgraded their offensive line this offseason. After watching Patrick Mahomes run for his life in the Super Bowl against the Bucs’ ferocious pass-rush, the team made it a priority to overhaul his O-line.
They traded for tackle Orlando Brown Jr., drafted center Creed Humphrey in the second-round, and signed veteran guards Austin Blythe and Kyle Long. LDT, of course, is perhaps most notable for being a doctor when he’s not battling it out in the NFL trenches, and he opted out of the 2020 season to help fight COVID-19.
Although he was a full-time starter for the Chiefs from 2015-19, Duvernay-Tardif wasn’t guaranteed his old job back even if he was fully healthy. We heard last month that he was battling it out with sixth-round rookie Trey Smith for a starting spot. This injury would seem to give Smith a pretty big leg up in that competition, so it’s highly possible Duvernay-Tardif starts the season as depth.
Why am I thinking Kyle Long also suffered an injury a month or so ago…?
He did.
How(ie) Long is he expected to be out?
It’s trey smith time baby!