The Kansas City Chiefs have activated offensive lineman Martinas Rankin from the reserve/COVID list on Monday afternoon. The move was first reported per the NFL’s official transaction report. The league has granted the Chiefs a roster exemption for Ranking which means, the club will have 54 players on the active roster for the time being. No corresponding roster adjustments have been made yet.
Ranking, 26, finally returns to the active roster for Kansas City after being inactive for the majority of the 2020 campaign. He was first placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list during training camp on July 31 and was unable to return from it in time for the start of the regular season. This forced the Chiefs to move him to the reserve/PUP list, which forced him to miss a minimum of six games per NFL rules.
On November 10, Rankin was elevated to the active roster but was placed on the reserve/COVID list less than a week later, along with teammates Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz. On Saturday, Fisher and Schwartz were able to rejoin the team, while Rankin remained on the list until Monday afternoon.
For now, Kansas City no longer has any players on the reserve/COVID list.
Rankin was a former third-round pick of the Houston Texans and was acquired by Kansas City via trade in exchange for running back Carlos Hyde in 2019. Rankin started five games for the Chiefs before sustaining a knee injury in Week 10 against the Tennessee Titans during the 2019 season and was placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season.
The Chiefs have struggled with offensive line depth this season, so finally getting Rankin back in the lineup will be a welcomed addition to the team.
