The Kansas City Chiefs enter the final stretch of the season banged up at several positions. The offensive line, specifically, is one area that hasn’t had the best of fortune.
In just a few short weeks, Kansas City went from its entire starting five being in a good spot to several pieces being missing. The left and right side of the line alike are seeing players get injured.
One of them, tackle Wanya Morris, won’t be eligible to play for the rest of the regular season.
Chiefs Placing Wanya Morris on IR, Ending His Regular Season
In a Saturday afternoon report from Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest, it was revealed that Morris is being placed on injured reserve. That comes with a minimum of four games missed. With Kansas City at 6-7 on the year, Morris can’t play another game this season regardless of whether he’d be healthy enough to.
This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Morris, after all, was carted from the sideline to the locker room in Week 14’s 20-10 loss to the Houston Texans. The third-year man suffered a significant knee injury, which has since been reported as season-ending. Morris sustained the ailment on the Chiefs’ very first offensive play last Sunday.
Morris was already stepping in for rookie left tackle Josh Simmons. Simmons, a first-round pick, suffered a serious wrist injury in Thanksgiving Day’s 31-28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. With him banged up and right tackle Jawaan Taylor nursing a triceps ailment, free agent signing Jaylon Moore started Week 14 at right tackle with Morris opposite him.
Morris has appeared in 43 regular-season games as a Chief (16 starts). In those outings, he played 1,139 offensive snaps and added another 185 on special teams. According to Pro Football Focus, he posted a 55.6 composite offense grade in 2023 before following it up with a 53.9 mark as a sophomore. This year, his grade was 57.1, fueled by a dreadful 23.7 pass blocking mark.
For this Sunday’s outing against the Los Angeles Chargers, the team will be without Morris, Simmons and Taylor. In the highly unlikely event of a Chiefs playoff run and Morris recovery combination, he could regain eligibility for the postseason.
Kansas City Activates C.J. Hanson & Elevates Former International Player Pathway Prospect
In Morris’ place, a pair of players will join the roster. Per Derrick, interior lineman C.J. Hanson is signed to the active roster. Additionally, reserve tackle Chukwuebuka “Chu” Godrick is being elevated from the practice squad.
Hanson is a 2024 seventh-round pick out of Holy Cross. The New Jersey native has played in just two regular-season games in his Chiefs career. In those outings, he has 32 offensive snaps and another five reps on special teams. Hanson failed to make the active roster to begin this year, instead signing onto the practice squad.
Advanced data for Hanson’s limited sample size must be taken with a grain of salt. In 31 blocking opportunities as a rookie, he earned a 48.6 PFF grade. A healthy 73.4 run blocking mark was nice, although a 1.6 pass blocking figure contrasted it. Hanson was credited with 4 pressures.
For Godrick, this may mark his professional debut. Derrick notes that he “will at minimum play on special teams.” Still just 25 years old, Godrick originally joined Kansas City via the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. He’s remained with the franchise on futures deals and practice squad assignments ever since.
Godrick is listed on the Chiefs’ official team site at 6-foot-5 and 293 pounds. Sunday could provide him a chance to dip his toes into NFL waters for the first time in a non-preseason environment.
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