Left tackle and the Kansas City Chiefs: Lucas Niang one in-house option, Andy Reid says

The Chiefs’ offensive line, especially at the tackle positions, remains a work in progress this offseason.

With mainstay bookend tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz gone, conventional wisdom suggests the Chiefs could eye the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft, which runs April 29 to May 1, to find their next left tackle.

But don’t overlook guys already on the roster: On Monday, Chiefs coach Andy Reid provided a list of in-house candidates who could protect quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ blind spot at the all-important left tackle spot.

And he began with Lucas Niang, the team’s third-round pick out of TCU in 2020.

“We’re fitting that through, but we had aspirations of potentially moving Niang over to that spot,” Reid said. “It looked like he had some potential for that when we had him last.”

The 6-foot-7, 328-pound Niang missed his rookie season as one of three Chiefs players who opted out of the 2020 season because of COVID-19 concerns. Right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and running back Damien Williams were the other two.

Niang, who can play either guard or tackle, was projected this offseason to compete at right tackle, the position Schwartz manned before being released along with Fisher. But he might also have an opportunity to replace Fisher at left tackle, based on Reid’s comments.

Reid said Kyle Long, who came out of retirement and signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs during March’s free-agency period, could be another option.

“Obviously, Kyle has that flex to be able to do something like that,” Reid said. “He’s played inside, too. I mean, the majority of time (earlier in his career) he played inside, but he wasn’t bad on the outside, either.”

In six seasons with the Chicago Bears, the 6-foot-6, 332-pound Long was a three-time Pro Bowler, including twice at right guard (2013-14). Long was a Pro Bowler and a second-team All-Pro selection in 2015 as a right tackle.

The other candidates to man the left tackle spot are Mike Remmers, who started at the position in Super Bowl LV, and Andrew Wylie, who played right guard and right tackle at various times during the 2020 regular season.

“We’ve got guys coming back, whether it’s Rem (Remmers) or whether it’s Andrew,” Reid said. “We’ve got guys who also have flexibility to play in those spots.”

Niang, Long, Remmers and Wylie aside, there’s yet another scenario to keep in mind. Reid spent time complimenting Fisher and Schwartz, both of whom were released before the start of free agency in salary-cap moves.

Fisher is still recovering from an ACL injury suffered during the AFC Championship Game, while Schwartz landed on injured reserve with a back injury last season and continues to recover. Neither played in the Chiefs’ loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV.

Their health status will determine whether either might be playing when the regular season begins in September, but Reid made it clear that a return to Kansas City shouldn’t be ruled out.

“You never know,” Reid said. “This is a small fraternity of teams, so you never know what goes around could come back around to you. Not that they’re back with us at some point, but that door always remains open. These guys did it the right way here.”

For now, the Chiefs’ mix of players competing for spots on the offensive line also includes new left guard in Joe Thuney and recently acquired center Austin Blythe.

And with eight picks to use in the April 29-May 1 NFL Draft, a clearer picture of what the Chiefs have in mind at those tackle positions should emerge before the start of organized team activities (OTAs) on May 25.