If you ever needed a graphic demonstration of the offensive line’s importance, the Kansas City Chiefs gave it to us in Super Bowl LV. As we welcomed in the new NFL league year, the Chiefs attacked free agency aggressively to begin that offensive line rebuild. During this week’s Draft Insiders, Trey Wingo and Tony Pauline shed light on the early moves, with a little hint of what might be next to come:
“They released both their starting tackles from a year ago. Eric Fisher was obviously dealing with the Achilles injury that he suffered in the AFC Championship Game, and Mitchell Schwartz who had an unbelievable run in Kansas City. Got hurt early on in the season, just underwent surgery. The Chiefs showed us that no matter how good your quarterback is — and Patrick Mahomes is a unicorn, I believe that, he’s singularly unique and is going to redefine the position — if you can’t protect him it doesn’t matter.”
How have the Kansas City Chiefs moved in free agency to address their offensive line?
Somewhat surprisingly, the Kansas City Chiefs’ first offensive line moves in free agency weren’t to replace their tackles. Instead, they’ve addressed the offensive line issues from the inside out. In one of the early big-money moves, they announced a five-year, $80 million deal for former New England Patriots offensive guard Joe Thuney.
[sv slug=”drizly”]Wingo expressed particular admiration for the signing of Thuney, describing him as “one of the most underrated players in football.”
Thuney, a third-round pick of the Patriots in the 2016 NFL Draft, has been an ever-present player in New England. He has been the anchor of a Patriots offensive line that has won two Super Bowls. The expectation is that he will line up at left guard for this new-look Chiefs offensive line.
However, the Chiefs’ free agency acquisitions on the offensive line didn’t stop there, as Wingo continues
“They just signed Kyle Long — after a year off — from retirement. Now you get Kyle Long in the mix who I think is probably going to go inside and play guard.”
Long, who was a second-team All-Pro in 2014, provides an element of versatility to the Chiefs offensive line. He has experience playing at both tackle and guard, which will be invaluable for the Kansas City Chiefs’ rebuild.
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They also return Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, their Super Bowl-winning right guard. The practicing doctor missed the 2020 NFL season as he returned home to Canada to help with their efforts fighting the global health situation. Between the Chiefs’ free agency moves, Duvernay-Tardif’s return, and a rumored return of starting center Austin Reiter, they are set to have a solid foundation on the interior offensive line.
What moves will they make to address the offensive tackle position?
The Kansas City Chiefs’ attempts to address the offensive line were not limited to the interior. Reportedly they made a substantial run at San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams. The former first-round pick of the Washington Football Team signed a six-year, $138 million deal to stay in San Francisco. Presumably, salary cap restrictions priced the Chiefs out.
With premium offensive tackle in free agency drying up — ironically, the best options on the open market are Fisher and Schwartz — the expectation is that the Chiefs will turn to the NFL Draft to provide the bookend solution to their offensive line rebuild.
As Tony Pauline alludes to, the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line may feature both future and previous NFL Draft selections.
“Remember, last year’s draft, in the third round, they selected Lucas Niang — the very talented tackle out of TCU. Niang decided to opt out. They have a little bit of a headstart in that department because they have already had a guy in the organization for a year who is a legitimate right tackle in the NFL.”
With Niang expected to start at right tackle, who will protect Patrick Mahomes’ blindside?
With Niang expected to hold down the right tackle position, the expectation is that the Chiefs will strike for a left tackle in the early rounds of the draft. Fortunately for them, the 2021 NFL Draft is rich in offensive tackle talent.
“Listen, if you’re a team that needs a left tackle, this is the draft to be in because after the top two guys — Penei Sewell and Rashawn Slater — there’s still going to be talent late Round, late Round 2. Maybe they take Alex Leatherwood of Alabama, who’s a potential late first-round pick. Sam Cosmi out of Texas, a guy who sometimes needs a boot in the rear end but has incredible amounts of talent.
“Late in Round 2, you’re looking at a guy like Walker Little out of Stanford. He’s someone who has basically been forgotten. After his sophomore season everyone projected him as a top-10 pick. He got hurt in the first game of 2019 against Northwestern, missed the rest of the season. Decided to opt out this season but he’s a very talented left tackle who hasn’t played much football lately.”
Could Josh Ball become the next Kansas City Chiefs left tackle?
Outside of the bigger names in the offensive tackle class, Pauline points to a potential sleeper who the Kansas City Chiefs reportedly have interest in — Marshall left tackle Josh Ball.
“They also like a guy out of Marshall by the name of Josh Ball. He had a terrific past two seasons. Really stepped in to the starting lineup. Long guy, outstanding pass protector. Again, all is not lost. You can get talented tackles — especially left tackles — in the draft. I think the question is, how many rookies do you want blocking for Patrick Mahomes?”
With that last thought in mind, could the Chiefs continue to address their offensive line during free agency?
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Oliver Hodgkinson is a staff writer for Pro Football Network. You can follow him on Twitter at @ojhodgkinson.