The Chiefs went from feeling secure enough at offensive tackle to shipping out help, then right back to shopping for it.
On Saturday, Kansas City added Diego Pounds in a trade with the Ravens, a move that came just before active roster cuts are due. Baltimore was set to cut Pounds anyway, so the deal at least lets the Ravens get something back instead of losing him for nothing on the waiver wire. The terms of the trade were not yet known as of press time.
For Kansas City, the move is a direct response to the uncertainty along the edge of the offensive line. Josh Simmons has missed considerable time with a back injury, sitting out more than a week of practice and both of the Chiefs’ last two preseason games. Andy Reid has said the issue is short-term, but the team still clearly wanted more protection in the room.
Pounds brings a profile that had some draft buzz attached to it. He spent his first three college seasons at North Carolina before transferring to Ole Miss in 2024, where he played his final two seasons. In 2025, he started 15 games at left tackle, earned third-team All-SEC honors, and took part in the Shrine Bowl last winter.
That pre-draft attention makes the undrafted part a little surprising. Dane Brugler of The Athletic had Pounds as his No. 12 overall tackle with a fourth-round grade, while Lance Zierlein of NFL.com placed him in a similar range, early on Day 3. The Ravens signed him as a priority free agent, but they couldn’t keep him on the active roster.
This is also the second time in a matter of days the Chiefs have reached out for offensive line help. Brett Veach sent a future seventh-round pick to the Giants for interior lineman Joshua Ezeudu just days ago, another sign that Kansas City is not taking the tackle situation lightly.
Not long ago, the Chiefs looked comfortable enough at the position to move on from Wanya Morris, sending him to the Atlanta Falcons after rookie free agent Kahlil Benson emerged. With Simmons, Esa Pole, and Jaylon Moore in the mix, they believed the room was strong enough to part with their former third-round pick. Now the picture is less settled, with Pole and other competitors such as Chu Godrick and Ethan Driskell suddenly part of a more uncertain race.
Kansas City still has a long list of cuts to sort through before Sunday’s 4:00 p.m. ET deadline, and Pounds adds another wrinkle to a position group that already needed clarity. How the final roster shakes out will say plenty about where Simmons stands as the season approaches.
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