Last Saturday, Kansas City Chiefs fans briefly got to witness their new look offensive play together in the preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals. With two preseason games left, Chiefs fans are likely to see a bit more of the starting offensive line. Still, what they saw on Saturday in 11 snaps got them excited for the regular season.
That said, one former Chiefs offensive lineman unfortunately had their 2026 season cut short before it even started. On Sunday, Washington Commander head coach Dan Quinn announced that former Chiefs lineman Lucas Niang suffered a torn ACL in their preseason opener against the New England Patriots, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic.
Though Niang was a backup most of his time in Kansas City, hearing he tore his ACL is still sad.
Dan Quinn said Lucas Niang tore his ACL in Friday's preseason loss to the Patriots.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 10, 2025
Niang signed with the Commanders only a week earlier.
Former Chief Lucas Niang Out for Season
Many in Chiefs Kingdom may not remember Niang's tenure with the team. The 26-year-old was a third-round pick during the 2020 NFL Draft and made a total of nine starts for the Chiefs in 2021. In those nine starts, he allowed zero penalties, two sacks, two quarterback hits, 22 QB hurries and 26 QB pressures, according to PFF.
Furthermore, Niang recorded a run blocking grade of 70.0, a pass blocking grade of 59.1 and an overall grade of 64.6. While the 26-year-old didn't allow sacks or get penalized, he was still an issue at tackle. As a result, Kansas City signed Jawaan Taylor that offseason to replace Niang.
Since becoming the starting right tackle for Kansas City, Taylor has had his own issues that have gotten on the fans' nerves. Those issues include penalties and sacks, which weren't an issue with Niang. Even so, the Chiefs' front office still felt more comfortable playing Taylor over Niang.
Nonetheless, the 26-year-old still collected two Super Bowl rings in Kansas City. Thus, Washington adding him as a depth piece a week prior to their preseason opener made sense. Sadly, due to his injury, Niang likely won't be a part of the Commanders roster in 2025.
Chiefs Kingdom wishes Niang the best in his recovery and hopes he can land somewhere in 2026.