After a dominant Week 1 performance, drubbing the Denver Broncos 31-10, the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football this week.
Before the game, the Chiefs shared some personal news about a player they acquired in a trade less than four weeks ago.
The Chiefs celebrated Joshua Ezeudu’s 27th birthday Saturday, his first with the franchise since the August trade brought the offensive lineman over from New York.
The now-27-year-old remains a depth piece on Kansas City’s offensive line, a reminder of how much ground he still has to cover after four unsettled seasons trying to stick as a starter with the Giants.
Kansas City’s official team account marked the occasion Saturday morning with a graphic pairing a photo of Ezeudu in his Chiefs helmet with a smiling portrait and bold “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” lettering, calling it his “first Chiefs Kingdom birthday.”
The post, sent at 8:02 a.m. CT, had drawn more than 33,000 views by midmorning.
Ezeudu was born Sept. 19, 1999, in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and stands 6-foot-4 and roughly 310 pounds, wearing No. 73 for Kansas City. His full name is Jamuike-Tomisin Ezeudu, though he has gone by Joshua throughout his football career.
Joshua Ezeudu’s Path From North Carolina To The NFL
Ezeudu spent four seasons at North Carolina, appearing in 36 games with 28 starts split mostly between left guard and tackle, according to Giants.com. He earned third-team All-ACC honors in 2020 and honorable mention All-ACC the following year, and North Carolina’s athletic department named him to the preseason All-ACC team and the Outland Trophy watch list entering his final college season. He also earned a spot on the ACC’s All-Academic team during his sophomore year, a distinction that stood out given his workload at left guard.
The Giants selected Ezeudu in the third round, 67th overall, in the 2022 NFL Draft. A neck injury cut his rookie season short, and a toe injury ended his 2023 season early. He appeared in 33 games with 10 starts across his four years in New York, working primarily at left tackle and left guard, before a calf injury wiped out his entire 2025 season. He re-signed with the Giants in March 2026 on a one-year contract before the trade to Kansas City ended that stint.
Ezeudu’s Trade To Kansas City And Week 1 Role
New York shipped Ezeudu to the Chiefs on Aug. 25, 2026 for a 2028 seventh-round draft pick, a move Kansas City made to shore up depth behind starting guards Kingsley Suamataia and Trey Smith, according to the team’s own announcement of the deal. Before the trade, Mike Caliendo had been the only proven interior backup on the roster.
Ezeudu was active for Kansas City’s 31-10 season-opening win over the Denver Broncos on Sept. 14, 2026 but played sparingly, logging just three offensive snaps and no special-teams work, according to a snap count breakdown from A to Z Sports.
The Chiefs leaned on jumbo personnel groupings that day, and Arrowhead Pride reported the extra-blocker packages helped clear space for running back Kenneth Walker III’s 60-yard touchdown run.
Through Week 1, Ezeudu has played in 34 career NFL games with 10 starts and has never made a Pro Bowl or All-Pro roster. Kansas City views him as rotational depth for now, but a full offensive line group behind Patrick Mahomes gives him more competition than he saw in New York.
Chiefs Share Joshua Ezeudu Personal News Before Colts Game