The Kansas City Chiefs defense looks to be losing one of their pass rushers for the remainder of 2019.
Yesterday evening, Andy Reid let us know that they believed DE Emmanuel Ogbah had suffered a torn pectoral muscle in the Chiefs’ 35-32 loss to the Tennessee Titans. It appears that he’s since had an MRI to confirm the initial diagnosis, and according to a new report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Ogbah will require season-ending surgery.
It’s not an ideal situation for Kansas City as Ogbah has been a big surprise. He came over to the Chiefs in a player-for-player swap with the Browns where the Chiefs sent safety Eric Murray to Cleveland. Since the trade, Ogbah has seen one of the best seasons in his career, matching his career sack total of 5.5 in just four starts and 10 total appearances with Kansas City.
This could be the last we see of Ogbah with the Chiefs as he’s currently slated to become a free agent in 2020. Kansas City could try and work out a deal to re-sign him but they’re going to be up against the cap trying to fit big contracts for DT Chris Jones and QB Patrick Mahomes.
Replacing Ogbah’s production in the meantime will be a difficult task for the Chiefs as they’ve seen quite a bit of attrition along the defensive line already. Starters Alex Okafor and Frank Clark have both dealt with injuries throughout the season.
Right now, there isn’t a clear move to make when Kansas City decides to send Ogbah to IR. They could potentially elevate Cameron Malveaux from the practice squad or bring in some free agents for tryouts. One thing we’ll likely see is more snaps from Jones at defensive end for the time being. He’s played there several times over the past two weeks due to injuries along the defensive line.
