Kansas City Chiefs’ latest roster move swaps longshot offensive linemen as injuries stack up at training camp
The Kansas City Chiefs added OT Kellen Diesch to the 90-man offseason roster after a successful tryout. He replaces OT Matt Waletzko, who was waived with an injury designation following a knee injury at training camp.
The Kansas City Chiefs announced another roster move on Thursday, Aug. 20.
With injuries at the offensive tackle position, the Chiefs waived OT Matt Waletzko with an injury designation and signed OT Kellen Diesch. Waletzko has a history of knee injuries and suffered another one in training camp practice earlier this week. Diesch was one of two UFL offensive linemen to try out for the team on Wednesday.
An undrafted free agent in the 2022 NFL Draft, Diesch comes back to the NFL after time in the UFL. He started 27 games between time at Texas A&M (2016-2019) and Arizona State (2020-2021). He’s spent time with a half dozen NFL teams. That group includes the Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, and Tennessee Titans.
Diesch most recently spent time with the 2026 UFL Champion Louisville Kings.
This is a short-term fix with preseason games to be played for Kansas CIty Chiefs
With Josh Simmons, Matt Waletzko, and Chu Godrick each dealing with injuries, the Chiefs had an offensive tackle depth issue that needed solving. They simply didn’t have enough players to field multiple units during their preseason Week 2 contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday. This is very much a short-term fix for the preseason.
That said, there is some longterm developmental upside in Diesch if he were to stick around on the practice squad. At the combine in 2022, he was listed at over 6-foot-7 and 301 pounds. He posted a 97th percentile speed score, an 89th percentile burst score, and a 83rd percentile agility score.
His closest athletic comparison based on these numbers? All-Pro Left Tackle Terron Armstead. Now, NFL teams have tried and failed with Diesch before. However, he’s 28 years old and could always find a landing spot on the practice squad in Kansas City if things go well over the next few weeks.
