What a wierd offseason this has been for discourse concerning the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive line.
It started with the NFL Draft when the Chiefs tried to persuade anybody who would pay attention that the crew was out there for an offensive deal with. It by no means handed the sniff check.
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The Chiefs invested high 65 alternatives up to now two drafts in present starters on the left aspect of the offensive line. The group additionally got here into the offseason with the second-highest-paid offensive guard (by common annual worth), proper guard Trey Smith, and the highest-paid middle within the league, Center Humphrey.
Sure, Jaylon Moore stays an unknown at proper deal with, however he’s the identical participant the Chiefs signed to a two-year, $30 million contract a calendar 12 months earlier than.
Nothing concerning the unit suggests a dire want for an offensive deal with. Using a top-15 choice to improve the place would have been silly, given the opposite wants on the roster.
General supervisor Brett Veach acknowledged as a lot post-draft.
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Unfortunately, these pre-draft conversations seem to have influenced the post-draft evaluation. This is a wierd time of the NFL calendar as groups aren’t taking the sphere for organized actions, coaching camp is nonetheless weeks away and information is onerous to come back by.
The end result? Ranking season, child!
I say this affectionately. We all have jobs to do, and in case your job is to make content material concerning the NFL presently of 12 months, effectively, it ain’t simple. Rankings and lists are a byproduct of this stretch within the calendar.
Anyway, this brings us to an fascinating takeaway from a few of these latest lists: Apparently, the final consensus is that the Chiefs’ offensive line stinks.
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Wait, what?
You learn that proper. At least three nationwide publications have ranked the Chiefs’ offensive line among the bottom 10 in the NFL heading into the 2026 marketing campaign: ESPN (Mike Clay), Sharp Football Analysis and Fantasy Points.
I’ve a tricky time comprehending such a rating. Josh Simmons simply put collectively a formidable rookie marketing campaign. Smith is seen as a top-10 guard within the recreation. Humphrey is most likely one of the best middle within the league. Kingsley Suamataia took a large step ahead final 12 months after his transfer to protect.
The one actual query alongside the line is Moore, and it’s not as if he’s a whole unknown. There are loads of models throughout the league with far larger liabilities alongside their offensive traces than Moore.
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I’m not alone in my confusion about these rankings. 4 for 4, and USA Today ranked the Chiefs’ offensive line as one of many high 11. No different crew has a larger commonplace deviation in offensive line rankings amongst these 5 publications than Kansas City.
But why? What’s resulting in such a large hole in how this unit is seen? I actually battle to grasp the opposite viewpoint. I satisfaction myself on seeing a number of sides of arguments, however this is one I can’t perceive. The Chiefs’ offensive line must be a power of the crew and arguably the offense’s id.
Anything much less could be an enormous disappointment. The Chiefs’ actions mirror as a lot.
The crew paid working again Kenneth Walker III as if he’s probably the greatest at his place within the sport. That isn’t potential if the Chiefs boast a bottom-10 offensive line.
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Patrick Mahomes is coming off a critical knee damage, and he most likely gained’t be one hundred pc by the beginning of the season. Putting him behind a bottom-10 offensive line could be organizational malpractice.
The league is shifting proper earlier than our eyes, and the massive guys up entrance are as necessary as they’ve been up to now 15 years. I’m speculated to consider head coach Andy Reid — a former offensive lineman in his personal proper, and a coach identified to put enormous emphasis on the place — both uncared for the group or didn’t see the difficulty?
Probably not.
If the nationwide publications are appropriate and the Chiefs have a bottom-10 offensive line, we’re doubtless in for one more lengthy season in Kansas City. Thankfully, I don’t foresee that being the case. This must be a top-10 unit within the league.
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Veach’s pre-draft smokescreen should nonetheless have everybody else fooled.