Man, did Patrick Mahomes need protection last year.
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The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback was left fending for his life, getting sacked 34 times. The total was two sacks away from tying his career-high 36, recorded only the year prior. To bolster the offensive line, right before the season begins, the Chiefs have traded for a player all the way from New York.
According to Ian Rapoport, the Chiefs will get Joshua Ezeudu from the New York Giants for a 2028 seventh-round pick, with Kansas City looking to beef up its interior offensive line.
Ezeudu comes to Kansas City as a questionable prospect, having injured his leg playing the Miami Dolphins in preseason Week 2. He remains day-to-day for now. While the Chiefs are getting one more player to protect Mahomes, Ezeudu hasn’t exactly been a sight for sore eyes.
The Giants drafted him in the third round in 2022 with the 67th overall pick. He got his feet wet as a rookie, playing in 10 games and starting two at left guard. However, things got turbulent in Ezeudu’s second season, when he was thrust into the starting left tackle job in Week 2 as injuries piled up. He held that spot for five straight games before a toe injury ended his own season early, landing him on injured reserve in mid-October.
Ezeudu comes to Kansas City after an inactive 2025, injuring his calf and leg back in August that year. He was healthy during the season, but was never called to the field. However, the Giants took a chance on him when he entered free agency this year.
They re-signed him this past spring on a one-year deal worth $1.3 million, so this trade wasn’t exactly the plan all along. But roster crunches happen, and Ezeudu became expendable. The Giants already have five starters, and have backups in Marcus Mbow, J.C. Davis, Aaron Stinnie, and Lucas Patrick or Bryan Hudson. Ezeudu’s exit also follows that of Daniel Faalele, who was let go after playing the Vikings in the preseason.
What makes this pickup interesting for Kansas City is the versatility. Ezeudu played 58 snaps filling in for Francis Mauigoa against Miami before the leg injury forced him out, one that isn’t expected to keep him out long. Afterward, head coach John Harbaugh laid out exactly what the team sees in him.
“The position flex is the idea, and you may have noticed he went back out to tackle in the fourth quarter, so the ability for him to play both guard and tackle, particularly on the right side, would be helpful for us,” Harbaugh told reporters.
“And that’s our thought. He’s kind of getting to the point now where we feel like he could swing right tackle, right guard. Right now we’re kind of keeping him off the left side and just keeping him to the right side, and that helps a little bit with some of the techniques. It’s like a hitter; he’s not a switch hitter right now on both sides, but he is playing both the inside position and the outside position. So, we think he’s ready for it, that he can handle it, and that gives us some position flexibility as a backup.”
The switch in position is a big reason why Joshua Ezeudu hasn’t been successful. He was originally drafted to be right guard for the Giants, but was moved to left tackle in 2024 right before the season began. Then, the disappointments followed.
However, Ezeudu can be useful in the right situations. Per Pro Football Focus, he has so far allowed 42 pressures on 738 passes, and has a pass-blocking efficiency rating of 93.9%.
Right now, this is more of a ‘let’s see what we’ve got’ move than a sure thing for the Chiefs. But that offensive line needs to be solid for Patrick Mahomes to play freely, which is what Ezeudu is expected to be.
Chiefs need help to keep Patrick Mahomes protected
Kansas City’s offensive line situation is looking a little concerning right now.
Starting left tackle Josh Simmons has missed back-to-back practices with a back issue, and things aren’t much better behind him either. Backup tackle Matt Waletzko is out with a knee injury, Chu Godrick has also been absent from practice, and star guard Trey Smith has only just returned with a hip problem.
The collective absence of all these players was probably why the Chiefs traded for Joshua Ezeudu from the Giants.
Across his three years in New York, Ezeudu played 33 games and started in 10, split between left tackle, left guard, and a spot as an extra blocker. He gives Andy Reid a lineman who can handle both guard and tackle, which is exactly the kind of flexibility the offensive line needs right now.
Adding to the pressure, Kansas City’s non-starting offensive line has been sloppy this preseason, racking up an excessive number of penalties. That was obvious in the opener against the Rams, where the Chiefs picked up double-digit penalties.
The need for additional players is clear; the team has signed tackle Kellen Diesch, who just won a UFL championship with the Louisville Kings. Diesch will be one of the other tackles apart from John Campbell, who will provide backup for Reid until things get sorted.
Mahomes is fully recovered and probable for Week 1 against the Denver Broncos. Now the pressure shifts to the offensive line to keep him protected this season, and it needs all hands on deck.