The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t just remaking their O-line. They’re remaking possibility
A year ago they said Run It Back. That was the right call and likely would have led to another (virtual?) parade if injuries hadn’t forced the Chiefs to use turnstiles for an offensive line against the Bucs in the Super Bowl.
There is no motto this year, at least not yet, at least not officially, but this feels a little like Run It Forward.
The Chiefs are the envy of the NFL right now, with a championship nucleus that is relatively young and (notably, considering everything else in the league) happy.
But the NFL’s expiration date on championship windows always comes quicker than you expect, and nobody involved with this group will be satisfied if this ends without another championship or three.
To that end, the Chiefs have emphasized their overriding priority — Do What’s Best For Patrick Mahomes — the the maximum degree.
The front office and coaches watched Mahomes get beat up toward the end of last season, including a playoff game that ended with him in concussion protocol and a Super Bowl that ended with him scheduling toe surgery.
The reaction has been swift, comprehensive, and telling.
Swift — they signed guard Joe Thuney immediately, then pursued more.
Comprehensive — every position on the offensive line has been flipped since the Super Bowl.
Telling — one common thread in the changes is a noticeable emphasis on toughness.
What it means is that the 2021 Chiefs will look significantly different on offense than what you’ve been used to.
They will still be fast, still be explosive, still be obsessive with stretching defenders horizontally and vertically, with the coaches seeing their job as creating mismatches for dynamic playmakers.
The change will be there on every snap, but will be most obvious in short yardage. Because you’re used to seeing Ferrari Right, or Smoked Sausage, or other quick hit plays that depend on surprise.
The Chiefs will still do some of that — worth mentioning here that new running back Jerick McKinnon was an option quarterback in college — but will no longer have to depend on it.
Orlando Brown, the new left tackle, is 6-foot-8 and 350 pounds and often described as a mauler. Thuney is widely considered one of the league’s best run blockers. Creed Humphrey, who the Chiefs selected in the second round, did not allow a sack in three years at Oklahoma and is considered one of the draft class’s best run-blockers. Kyle Long was described as “healthy, happy, nasty and shredded” when he decided to play again this season, and Lucas Niang is a physical blocker who Chase Young called the best lineman he faced in college.
Austin Blythe, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Mike Remmers are among those who will provide competition.
The Chiefs’ highest priority this offseason has been to make sure Mahomes has more time in the pocket and more reason to trust his blocking than he did last season.
The front office and coaches did that, and it’s reasonable to expect Mahomes to be even more effective with the help, even after losing Sammy Watkins, losing out on receivers in free agency and not using one of the first two picks on a receiver.
But the most noticeable change could be in pure physicality. Andy Reid’s Chiefs have always prioritized athleticism up front, and for logical reasons. Reid’s screen game is legendary, and the sight of left tackle Eric Fisher getting 5, 10, even 20 yards downfield has become common.
Brown is a step down from Fisher in agility, but along with the other changes provides the Chiefs a new identity and more options.
For years, third and a foot has meant scheming a surprise or a mismatch.
In 2021, it could mean a simple handoff to a running back who follows Brown and Thuney forward for a first down.
Think of it this way. The Chiefs often had to plan around a disadvantage in line-of-scrimmage, hand-to-hand combat. In 2021, they will have the advantage more often than not.
One truth of the Chiefs the last few years is that they were almost always the faster team. When they also played stronger — the most obvious example came against the Ravens last year — they were without peers.
They will still be among the league’s fastest teams, but now they will be much stronger up front, too.
Think about Mahomes with a clear mind, and more time.
Think about Reid with the same creativity, but now against defenses that must devote resources to the middle of the field, too.
The Chiefs are not a perfect team, and not just because perfect teams don’t exist. They could use more edge rush, more defensive backs, more brute force on the defensive line and one more receiver.
But what they have at the moment is a defense that’s getting faster and an offense that’s now pairing an often-overwhelming speed with a physical strength it hasn’t had in years.
The Chiefs lost the most recent Super Bowl because they weren’t strong enough. The front office is making sure that never happens again.
CHIEFS’ DRAFT PICKS
- Round 2, 58th overall: LB Nick Bolton, Missouri
- Round 2, 63rd overall: C Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma
- Round 4, 144th overall: DE Joshua Kaindoh, Florida State
- Round 5, 162nd overall, via trade with Jets: TE Noah Gray, Duke
- Round 5, 181st overall: WR Cornell Powell, Clemson
- Round 6, 226th overall, via trade with Jets: OL Trey Smith, Tennessee
This story was originally published May 1, 2021 at 11:14 AM.