Week 7 brought plenty of good for the Kansas City Chiefs, as they blew out their division rival Las Vegas Raiders 31-0. Unfortunately for the reigning AFC champs, there’s now some bad news to accompany it.
Per a Monday afternoon report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, rookie defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott suffered a torn ACL. Sunday’s injury officially cuts his debut campaign short.
Chiefs Rookie DT Omarr Norman-Lott Suffered Torn ACL in Week 7
“Chiefs DT Omarr Norman-Lott, their second rounder this year, suffered a torn ACL and is out for the season, sources say,” Rapoport’s tweet began. “The promising young lineman turns his attention to a full recovery for 2026.”
Speaking to the media following Sunday’s win, head coach Andy Reid briefly addressed the Norman-Lott injury and confirmed a knee ailment.
“Norman-Lott, Omarr, he hurt his knee,” Reid said. “We’ll get an MRI and see how it is, tomorrow, exactly what it is.”
The ACL injury took place in the third quarter of Week 7’s bout. On a first-and-10 play, Raiders tackle Stone Forsythe knocked Norman-Lott down while he was already engaging with a block assignment. That led to the first-year man going down in a heap on the field, being in visible pain. He was helped off to the sideline by teammates thereafter and headed to the locker room for further evaluation.
Prior to getting hurt, Norman-Lott played 73 defensive snaps. That was good for 27% of those available in his five games played. The Tennessee product logged 5 tackles and a sack, even earning a start back in Week 3’s win over the New York Giants.
No matter how you slice it, this is a downright brutal blow for the second-round pick and the Chiefs’ defense. Now, focus shifts to Norman-Lott getting right for the offseason program, training camp and next preseason.
Assessing Kansas City’s Options to Replace Norman-Lott
With Norman-Lott on the shelf, the Chiefs’ already-thin interior defensive line group becomes even scarier on paper in the worst of ways. The rookie was projected to earn more snaps down the stretch of the season, as August and part of September saw him limited by other injuries. Right when he settled into a groove, he got hurt again.
Of course, the straw that stirs the drink remains All-Pro Chris Jones. He recorded his second sack of the season on Sunday and has 10 tackles on the year. He currently ranks seventh on the Kansas City defense in snaps at 316, good for 80.4% of those available. Not much will change for him moving forward without Norman-Lott. If anything, his already sizable workload could increase a tad more.
It’s the group behind Jones that stands out. The club moved to acquire old friend Derrick Nnadi earlier this year, and he’s logged 140 snaps through Week 7. The results have yet to manifest themselves, though, as he ranks 191st among 193 interior linemen in Pro Football Focus composite defense grade.
Until — and if — an external move is made, keep an eye on veteran Jerry Tillery. The offseason free agent pickup has played 119 snaps, including 51 from Weeks 5-7. Per PFF, he has 6 pressures in 65 pass-rushing opportunities.
As of Monday, the practice squad contains tackles Marlon Tuipulotu, Zacch Pickens and Brodric Martin. Tuipulotu is the most familiar name among that group, and he has nine snaps played on defense this year.
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