Grading the trade: Kansas City Chiefs double up on offensive line help with move to acquire Baltimore Ravens OT Diego Pounds
The Kansas City Chiefs are adding another offensive lineman via trade, according to reports. Here’s all the latest information.
The Kansas City Chiefs are doubling down on the offensive line help ahead of 53-man roster cuts. They already acquired OL Joshua Ezeudu in a trade from the New York Giants.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, the Chiefs have now acquired OT Diego Pounds from the Baltimore Ravens. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 330 pounds, the undrafted free agent from Ole Miss was one of the highest-graded offensive linemen of the preseason. Now, he’ll take his talents to the AFC West and Kansas City.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Chiefs will ship a conditional pick to the Ravens. It could be either a Day 3 2027 pick or a Day 3 2028 pick. I am told the pick will be a sixth-round draft pick, and the conditions depend on Pounds’ playing time. Pounds was unlikely to make it to the practice squad for Baltimore, so they get something in return from him for the Chiefs.
What does the trade for Diego Pounds mean for the Chiefs?
The Chiefs have been looking for offensive line help, and that was before starting LT Josh Simmons sought out a second opinion on his back injury. Andy Reid recently said Simmons will need a little time to recover from his injury. Does this signal that Simmons won’t be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season? I’m not ready to go there yet. But it is worth noting that Pounds played the left tackle position during the preseason. He also had over 2,500 snaps at left tackle in college.
Regardless, this signals that Kansas City’s offensive line depth wasn’t good enough this preseason. This move doesn’t bode well for players like Esa Pole, Ethan Driskell, and Chu Godrick. Their chances of making the 53-man roster just took a big hit.
What does Pounds bring to Kansas City?
Pounds is a big body, an easy mover, and he’s been nearly flawless during the preseason. He’s notched one of the highest run-blocking grades among offensive tackles, both rookies and veterans. He’s also allowed no pressures or sacks during the preseason on 26 pass-blocking snaps per PFF, which is a big positive since pass-blocking has been subpar for the Chiefs.
Grade: A-
Getting a standout UDFA offensive lineman from an AFC rival for a Day 3 pick is a win in my book. It’s hard to look at this move as anything short of prudent decision-making by Veach to reinforce a position that has continued to underperform this preseason. They’re shaking things up because their depth hasn’t been able to hack it. They had a better performance out of their O-Line in preseason Week 3 after trading for Ezeudu. They might have even better performance in Week 1 against the Broncos with this shake-up.
