Chiefs Trade For Ravens T Diego Pounds

As the Chiefs ready their roster for tomorrow’s cut deadline, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports that they are trading for Ravens offensive tackle Diego Pounds, an undrafted rookie out of Ole Miss. ESPN’s Nate Taylor reports that the compensation Baltimore will receive for the exchange will be a conditional sixth-round pick in 2028.

Following the Chiefs’ decision to move on from Jawaan Taylor‘s contract, the team’s next answer at tackle has been unclear. Josh Simmons, Kansas City’s first-round pick last year, is the only certain returning starter. He returns to the starting left tackle spot after only appearing in eight games as a rookie. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Chiefs are being cautious with Simmons as he deals with a back issue he got second opinions on in the offseason. The starting right tackle job has reportedly become an open competition this offseason, and Pounds may end up being the latest contender.

Veteran swing tackle Jaylon Moore was expected to be the team’s eventual answer at tackle. With Taylor’s departure fairly visible with foresight, the Chiefs signed Moore away from the 49ers on a two-year, $30MM deal last year — surprising numbers for a player who had only made 12 starts over four years in San Francisco. The team did get some worth out of the first year of that deal last year as Moore served as a replacement starter for four games at left tackle and two games at right tackle.

Moore’s performance in the 2025 season and following offseason apparently didn’t convinced the Chiefs that he is the answer moving forward. By mid-June reports had emerged that 2025 UDFA Esa Pole and rookie UDFA Kahlil Benson had entered the conversation, and at some point, the team’s depth chart began to reflect Benson as the starter at right tackle. A former third-round pick for the Chiefs, Wanya Morris was a potential option when the offseason began, but the team traded him to Atlanta in June as a result of their confidence in Benson.

It’s unclear if any decisions have been made on the tackle position on the depth chart. Even if Moore didn’t appear to be ready to take over as a starter, he’s still an accomplished swing tackle with Pole joining him as backup options if Simmons and Benson are the starters. However, Kansas City clearly felt it necessary to pursue further depth or competition, and Pounds was their solution there.

Pounds was a surprising name to go undrafted. The two-year starter at Ole Miss was projected to be a fourth-round selection in last year’s draft. After his name went uncalled, though, the Ravens won out on landing Pounds’ signature as a free agent. Throughout the preseason, Baltimore has kept its starting tackles on the bench, relying primarily on 2025 fifth-rounder Carson Vinson and 2025 UDFA Gerad Lichtenhan. Pounds and veteran David Sharpe have worked behind them.

There’s nothing to suggest that Baltimore wasn’t a fan of Pounds or didn’t have plans for him in their future, but perhaps, when the Chiefs came calling, he became a luxury worth moving. While the Ravens apparently feel comfortable with their current stable of bookends, Pounds becomes the latest variable as Kansas City works to answer the same question.