Chiefs offensive line rated well in one key area, could use improvement in another
Since his first year coaching in the NFL some 16 years ago, Chiefs offensive line boss Andy Heck has rotated players across all five positions during training camp practices.
Just in case.
The Chiefs needed the contingency plan this season. In one sequence in Tennessee, a game in which they were already missing starting linemen Eric Fisher and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, the team lost two more bodies on back-to-back plays, with Mitchell Schwartz missing the first snap of his career and Martinas Rankin needing a cart to leave the field one play later. At that moment, the Chiefs were down to just five healthy linemen in the game.
The injuries up front showed in spurts, particularly in the running game, but a Band-Aid group pieced it together for its top assignment — protecting franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was sacked just 17 times in 14 regular season starts.
Here’s an evaluation of this year’s offensive line and a look ahead to what the 2020 group might look like.
2019 FINAL ROSTER: Eric Fisher, Stefen Wisniewski, Austin Reiter, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Mitchell Schwartz, Cam Erving, Andrew Wylie, Ryan Hunter, Jackson Barton
INJURED RESERVE: Martinas Rankin, Greg Senat
2020 FREE AGENTS: Stefen Wisniewski, Andrew Wylie (exclusive rights free agent)
Position review
The Chiefs allowed only 25 sacks all year, fourth-best in football. To be certain, Mahomes’ escapability and knack for extending plays is part of that prevention. But so was this group, one put together with a preference on pass protection. The offensive line proved effective there.
In the run game, though? Less so. The interior of the line struggled to create running lanes with the same consistency, and the Chiefs finished 23rd in the league in rushing.
Hey, not everyone has the multi-strength arsenal of right tackle Mitchell Schwartz. And that’s a good place to start with the evaluations. The Pro Bowl might have overlooked it, but Schwartz put together one of the league’s truly dominant seasons — regardless of position. He did not allow a sack all year, and that includes the playoffs, according to Pro Football Focus.
The tackles provided stability, at least when healthy. Left tackle Eric Fisher missed eight games, and the Chiefs went just 4-4 with him out of the lineup. In the 11 he played? They were 11-0. Fisher had a perfect season.
Stefen Wisniewski, who joined the team mid-season, supplanted Andrew Wylie at left guard and never relinquished the job. The Chiefs praised his aggression.
Austin Reiter, acquired off waivers from the Browns in September 2018, started all 16 games at center.
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif missed a pair of games because of an ankle injury but started the remaining 14 at right guard.
Looking ahead
The bulk of the group remains under contract for 2020, so it could largely resemble the ensemble it had for the Super Bowl team.
But there’s always some change along the offensive line. The Chiefs are set at the tackle positions, but might they consider an interior lineman with a draft pick?
On the chopping block?
Wisniewski was one of general manager Brett Veach’s key in-season acquisitions, even if an under-the-radar one. But he is a free agent and will be 31 next month. On the other hand, he would not necessitate a significant financial investment and has familiarity with the system. He also now has two championship rings. There’s some value there.
The price of the line isn’t cheap next season. Fisher will make $15.2 million; Schwartz is at $10.8 million; Erving is scheduled to make $4.7 million, though the Chiefs could save $3.3 by releasing him; Duvernay-Tardif is at $9 million and could be asked to restructure; and Reiter is at $3.8 million, and the Chiefs could save $3.4 million by cutting him.