Jaylon Moore, the Chiefs’ starting right tackle, is officially in concussion protocol after leaving the game just before halftime against the Los Angeles Chargers. This is a tough blow for Kansas City, and it immediately shifts their offensive line plans.
Next Man Up: Ezeudu Takes the Reins
When Moore went down, backup lineman Joshua Ezeudu immediately stepped in at right tackle for the final three plays of the first half. Talk about being thrown into the deep end! Those plays were crucial, leading directly to Harrison Butker nailing a 50-yard field goal that put the Chiefs up 19-3 heading into the locker room. Now, with Moore officially in protocol, it’s Ezeudu who’s slated to start the entire second half at right tackle.
Ezeudu’s Winding Road to Right Tackle
This isn’t just any backup stepping in; Ezeudu is a fifth-year career backup with 10 career starts under his belt. The wild part? Most of his NFL career, spent primarily with the New York Giants, was on the left side of the line. Pro Football Focus shows he’s got 402 career snaps at left tackle and another 317 at left guard. Want to know how many he had at right tackle? A grand total of three career snaps! That’s insane.
But here’s where it gets interesting: during the preseason this year with the Giants, he did line up at right tackle 44 times and right guard another 30 times. So, it’s not entirely foreign territory, even if it’s new for the Chiefs. Kansas City actually traded for Ezeudu and Diego Pounds, who’s inactive today, before the regular season kicked off. With left tackle Josh Simmons also recovering from a back injury, it really puts Ezeudu as the absolute next man up on the offensive tackle depth chart.
We’re all watching to see how this mid-game lineup change impacts the Chiefs’ offense in the second half. It’s a huge test for Ezeudu and a big question mark for Kansas City as they push to close out this game.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Arrowhead Pride.
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