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Early during the 2023 offseason, Kansas City Chiefs second-year offensive tackle Lucas Niang was the projected starting right tackle next season for the defending Super Bowl champions. But that changed once the team signed Jawaan Taylor and later Donovan Smith, both of which will likely start at right and left tackle respectively next season for Kansas City, which thrusts Niang back to the bench.
It could also make Niang — a 2020 third-round pick by the Chiefs — a potential trade piece, according to Bleacher Report’s Jake Rill.
In an article in which he named the Chiefs’ top trade candidates ahead of 2023 training camp, Rill made Niang No. 2 on his list, and for good reason.
“With Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor likely to be the Chiefs’ top two OTs, Niang seems destined for a reserve role, assuming that he’s still with Kansas City when the regular season arrives,” Rill wrote July 3. “It might be a better move by the Chiefs to shop Niang to see if they can acquire a draft pick or two in exchange for the 24-year-old.”
Chiefs Have ‘A Lot of Hopes’ for Lucas Niang
On April 20, Chiefs general Manager Brett Veach spoke glowingly about Lucas Niang, who was still slotted to be the team’s starting right tackle in 2023 after the Jawaan Taylor signing because they hadn’t signed Donovan Smith yet.
“We have a lot of hopes for Lucas (Niang),” Veach said during his press conference. “And you know, he was the guy that actually won that starting right tackle position, then he got hurt. It’s been a little bit of an uphill battle. Um, he had a pretty bad injury there. But he has worked phenomenally to get in shape. And Rick (Burkholder) and his staff have done a great job of continuing to get him in the right positions to go out there and be productive.”
Lucas Niang Is Definitely a Trade Chip for Chiefs
After giving Jawaan Taylor a four-year, $80 million deal at the start of free agency — along with other free agency moves and undrafted rookie signings — Kansas City signed Donovan Smith to a one-year deal worth up to $9 million according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero on May 3.
Along with the additions of Taylor and Smith to the offensive tackle room this offseason, Kansas City also signed Sebastian Gutierrez, used a third-round pick on Wanya Morris in the draft, and acquired Chukwuebuka Jason Godrick via the International Pathway Program.
Smith, who turned 30 on June 23 and was an eight-year starter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is projected to be Kansas City’s new starting left tackle, which will allow Taylor to play right tackle instead of transiting to left tackle, which was the original projection for him in Kansas City.
Those moves make Lucas Niang, whose rookie contract doesn’t expire until 2025 due to him opting out of his rookie season in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, an expendable piece of the Chiefs roster.
Kansas City could opt to keep Niang around as a valued depth piece along the offensive line in case injuries plague that unit throughout the season. But trading him away in exchange for a draft pick(s) or a player is absolutely a possibility as well.
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