Chiefs lineman Cam Erving reaps rewards of versatility with contract extension
There was a time Cam Erving might’ve looked at the unofficial depth chart for the Chiefs’ season opener at the Chargers and felt discouraged.
After holding the starting left guard spot throughout the preseason, Erving was bumped to the backup left tackle spot on the cusp of the regular season.
But the former first-round pick wasn’t discouraged by the shift.
After all, he signed a major contract extension less than 24 hours after the chart was released, guaranteeing him at least $10 million over the next three years, making him one of the NFL’s highest-paid swingmen. With the incentives included in the deal, that total could go even higher.
“When they told me to go in and sign it, I was like, ‘Man, it’s happening,’” Erving said. “A lot of guys aren’t able to make it to a second contract in the NFL because it stands for Not For Long. So to get to that point is definitely a blessing.”
The timing of the deal and the revelation that Erving likely won’t start against the Chargers is admittedly strange. But Erving didn’t view it that way.
“You know, you look at that sometimes and you look at it as a negative,” he said of being a backup. “But I began to look at things a lot differently as my career has gone on. Of course, I want to be out there starting, but at the end of the day, I have a lot of value coming in as a backup and making sure I can spell anybody who needs a backup or needs a break or gets injured or goes down.
“God forbid any of that. But just being prepared mentally to go out there and handle those situations, man.”
After being taken with the 19th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Erving spent two seasons with the Browns. His tenure was marked with significant struggles, and Pro Football Focus ranked him 123 out of 137 guards in the NFL after his four-start rookie season. He started 13 games in 2016, including 12 at center. But he wasn’t effective in that position, either.
Erving finally got the fresh start he needed in Kansas City last year when he was traded by Cleveland for a fifth-round pick. He played in 13 games in his first season with the Chiefs, starting three at right guard when Laurent Duvernay-Tardif went down with a knee injury and one at left tackle.
This year, Erving didn’t enter training camp with a contract extension on his mind. He continued to develop versatility as the camp went on, first taking snaps as a center with Mitch Morse still recovering from a foot injury, and then moving to left guard.
“Honestly, my emphasis going into this season, starting the training camp was not about the contract,” Erving said. “It was about solidifying myself as a starter on this team or as a guy that could come in and play and contribute to this team.
“Being versatile and being able to step in and do whatever’s asked of me has always been a primary goal of mine.”
Erving did just that, sliding into the role Zach Fulton held for four years as the utility backup lineman. After starting 12 games in place of Morse and Duvernay-Tardif, Fulton signed a four-year $28 million deal with the Texans in the offseason.
Once a maligned member of Cleveland’s squad, Erving is settling into a more effective role in Kansas City with a vote of confidence from the Chiefs’ brass — but he doesn’t want to stop with this deal.
“At this point, I feel like it’s only beginning,” Erving said. “This is definitely not the end. As great of a deal as it is, I’ll continue to say, that’s not the one that I’ve been going after my whole career. It’s a great stepping stone and a bridge to get me where I’m going. I’m out here just trying to do what I need to do for this team to be successful.”
Brooke Pryor
Brooke Pryor covers the Kansas City Chiefs and NFL for The Star.
This story was originally published September 5, 2018 at 5:12 PM.