The Kansas City Chiefs' offensive line finds itself in an incredibly precarious position heading into Week 14. The unit is expected to rely on three backup starters, with Trey Smith, Jawaan Taylor, and Josh Simmons all missing time. This explains why the Chiefs are continuing to search for depth, signing veteran tackle Matt Waletzko to the practice squad on Wednesday, per Chiefs Digest's Matt Derrick, as Esa Pole gets promoted to the 53-man unit.
Waletzko was a 5th-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys, with injuries consistently plaguing him, making it impossible to evaluate a potential ceiling. With this in mind, it is very possible his addition could have some long-term potential for the Chiefs.
Matt Waletzko Could Help the Chiefs in the Long Run
It is beyond clear that backup Wanya Morris isn't worthy of being an O-line mainstay, while Taylor is likely an offseason cut, one that would save the Chiefs $20 million in cap space, according to Spotrac. Taylor is a consistent source of frustration when it comes to dumb penalties and being unreliable in the biggest moments of a game.
Although Waletzko might not be an outright replacement for Taylor (unless he can prove it), he could end up being kept around to compete for a starting job in training camp. A competition between him and potential free agents and draft picks could yield promising results.
Waletzko has a clear opportunity in front of him not only to work his way into a depth role this season, but to become a piece of the team's future plans. With Taylor and Morris both appearing to be on the outs, there are also depth spots up for grabs. Add in the fact that rookie tackle Josh Simmons has struggled to stay on the field this season, and there is a clear need for the Chiefs to find cheap depth at tackle — especially given how shallow the team's OL reinforcements are at the moment.
Paying top-dollar for their star players has left the Chiefs projected to be more than $31 million over the 2026 salary cap. This makes it clear just how important it will be to save at every possible position. If that means moving on from Taylor in favor of Waletzko or a by-committee approach, general manager Brett Veach needs to do it because any saved dollars can be used elsewhere to make the team even better.
What will be interesting is to see how quickly the franchise might give Waletzko a chance if Morris were to struggle before the end of the year. Simmons is out for at least four games, and Pole is still largely unproven. All of this opens up a clear path for an overlooked practice squad player to perhaps carve out a surprise path.
If Waletzko capitalizes on any opportunities he sees, either during practice or in-game, he could wind up being a key piece of the Chiefs' OL room next season.