Rudy

Niswanger

The smallish 34-year-old center hopes to last another few years, but Kansas City is in search of a replacement. Rudy Niswanger is an in-house option. The Chiefs could also move G Brian Waters inside to the pivot spot.

Niswanger hurt his knee in the second quarter of Sunday’s loss. The promising young lineman has a chance to make an impact for the Chiefs next year.

A 26-year-old former undrafted free agent from LSU, Niswanger started 15 games at center in 2008. Along with Dwayne Bowe and LT Branden Albert, Niswanger will probably be one of the few returning Chiefs starters to keep his job.

It’s amazing that Ghiaciuc lasted nearly three years as the Bengals’ starting center considering his deficiencies in pass protection. Ghiaciuc will likely compete with incumbent Rudy Niswanger for the starting center job.

Niswanger couldn’t put weight on the leg and was struggling to make it to the sidelines. He could be done for the afternoon. The Chiefs offensive line is getting beat up by a poor Chargers defensive front early on.

The bye week won’t be enough time for Niswanger to heal. It’s another blow to a Kansas City offensive line that is among the worst in the league. Left tackle Wade Smith moved over to center to replace Niswanger on Sunday, but backup Andy Alleman and practice squad G/C Darryl Harris are also options.

No love for Herb Taylor. Jones hasn’t started since 2005 and Niswanger has never been more than a special teams blocker. Larry Johnson is a natural inside runner, but seems likely to struggle to find consistent holes in 2008.

Niswanger’s knee is clearly not as bad as originally thought -- the team had feared it could end his season. It’s small steps for the Chiefs offensive line, which has struggled as much as any unit in the league.

Along the offensive line, only Brian Waters at left guard remains in the same place from last season. Damion McIntosh will move to right tackle while the team takes a leap of faith with Adrian Jones at right guard and Rudy Niswanger at center.